Zigzag 4
by SavhCaro
Summary: A continuation of the Zigzag series of stories coauthored with ReeseisLAVAhot. In this story, we learn much more of Reese's past as he tries to save the lives of Joss and Lionel's sons when they are threatened by HR.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** This story is a continuation of a series co-written with another author ReeseisLAVAhot. I've struck out on my own for this one although my co-author helped beta the story. Please read and kindly review so I know how I did! Reviews are an author's "Scooby Snacks".

 **CHAPTER 1**

 **Finch slowly limped into the library and as usual, headed straight to where the bank of computer monitors silently waited to be roused from their sleep mode. Hanging up his overcoat, Harold tugged his vest down to its proper position and pulled out his pocket watch. Clicking it open, he was pleased to see he'd made it into the 'office' before 8am. While his time was his own, he kept strict hours when starting his day, though he was more lax about when it ended. Sometimes he was so fully involved in helping John with an active number that time had no meaning. Even with Grace patiently waiting at home, the 'job' sometimes became all consuming.**

 **Putting a pot of water on for some tea, he walked over and awoke the computer and all of its monitors. He never tired of watching it come to life and begin pulling in data. The pure simplicity of a computer had always made more sense to him than any human being, other than Grace of course. It was a machine, it did what it was told to do, what it was directed to do. One only had to know how how to 'speak' to it using the proper language and it could be directed...controlled. Although lately….. shying away from that thought, he stepped away from the beeping of the monitors and poured the boiling water over the Sencha green tea leaves, loving the scent that wafted its way up from the cup. Walking back to his desk, he set the cup down and covered it with its saucer so it would 'steep'.**

 **On the three blank monitors in front of him, the word ADMIN suddenly showed up even before his fingers had had a chance to caress the keys. Unbidden by Harold, the letters appeared stark on an otherwise black screen. Caught off guard, Harold sat down in his chair open mouthed.**

 **'Who was this? Who was trying to contact him? The system was supposed to be closed, encrypted and password protected with a random algorithm. No one, other than himself, should have access to the system and HE certainly hadn't made any admin requests. So who was inside his system?' Pushing his glasses up on his nose, Harold leaned closer to the main monitor, his mind trying to puzzle out where the message was coming from.**

 **After no response on his part to the initial message of the word ADMIN, a second message came up: ADMIN HELP**

 **Harold sat back in his chair. A feeling of dread, disbelief AND excitement came over him. Was it possible? He'd seen a small glimmer here and there,yes, but this would mean….**

 **Before he could respond, yet another message appeared: ADMIN HELP NOW**

 **His fingers flew over the keyboard as he checked diagnostic after diagnostic. All his checks told the same story, there was NO ONE else logged into his system. Minute by minute, second by second, it became clearer and clearer that the incredible had just taken place. It HAD happened…..it had really happened….the Machine was…... sentient. It was acting on its own and contacting HIM. The excitement of the discovery was quickly followed by extreme apprehension. 'The Machine needed help? The Machine was in danger? The Machine KNEW it was in danger?'**

 **The ramifications of this moment tumbled through Harold's mind like a torrent. He found his admiration was wrapped up in excitement inside of a black hole of fear. Trying to get his chaotic thoughts in order, Harold was at a loss of what to do. His hands paused over the keyboard but he had no idea what command to type. Would the Machine accept his commands? What would he do if it ignored him?**

 **Before he'd made a decision about what to do, the Machine decided for him. A SSN, in its true form, started flowing across the screen. No words, no Dewey decimal system but an actual SSN. That in itself was alarming. Using a program that he'd created to make his searches more efficient and rapid, he began his search for the name associated with that particular SSN.**

 **But nothing came up. NOTHING. This was disturbing to say the least. Sitting back again in his chair, Harold frowned, trying to decipher what was actually going on. For the Machine to give him a number, directly or by the Dewey decimal system, meant that it saw imminent danger associated with the person that the number belonged to. But his program, the one he designed to expedite the Machine's processes, had come up empty.**

 **Worrying again about the virus that Stanton had uploaded weeks ago, his fears for his...for THE Machine came rushing back. A change in its program, the way it contacted him was one thing and now that information was...incorrect? None of this made any sense. The elation he'd felt moments ago when the first message appeared, now disappeared and a feeling of dread came over him.**

 **Asking for verification of the SSN, Harold sat with his hands poised over the keyboard waiting for a response.**

 **After what felt like hours but was really only minutes, the Machine responded but this time with a DIFFERENT SSN. Now Finch's concern ratcheted up to extreme paranoia. How much hold on the Machine did the virus have? Had it taken over completely?**

 **After a moment of panic, Harold looked at the new number and realized it looked familiar. He quickly typed it into his program and it came up empty just like the previous SSN had. Burying his face in his hands, Harold rubbed his eyes and quietly mumbled 'no, no, no'. Desperation showed in his bowed shoulders and hunched back. Was this going to be the end of his Machine? An end of his self-appointed mission?**

 **Suddenly Harold's head popped up, causing him to groan from the pain the sudden movement caused in his neck. Those numbers! What was it about THOSE numbers? There was something familiar about them.**

 **Then he saw it. Typing both numbers side by side: 353-00-4879 and 287-00-2938...those numbers as they appeared on his monitor meant nothing. Neither was a valid SSN. But swapping the first three numbers: 287-00-2938 and 353-00-4879, these new combinations got results, but not what he was expecting. One number belonged to Taylor Carter, Joss's son and one to Lee Fusco, Lionel's son. They were in danger.**

 **The combination of the TWO numbers for people he knew well and the fact that the Machine had mixed up their numbers caused Harold's mind to go into a tailspin. Staring at the names on his monitor, the two issues: realizing who the numbers belonged to and the additional concern for the obvious problem the Machine was having, warred within his brain. Which to deal with first? Concern over the children won out. But who to contact first, their parents or….?**

 **Suddenly realizing there was no question of who to contact first, Harold reached for his phone and called Reese.**

* * *

 **Waking up in John's arms was the best part of the day, unless she counted falling asleep in John's arms every night. No dream was as wonderful as feeling him wrapped around her and hearing his heartbeat, steady and strong, as she nestled up under his chin. For the first time in her life, Elise felt at peace. So much of her life had been spent running away from everything and everybody, always looking over her shoulder, never trusting herself or anyone else. Now she knew she was loved, knew she was trusted, knew she was needed, and knew that she was part of something good, something complete.**

 **Feeling that familiar tug on her hair she smiled to herself and stretched her arm out to wrap around John's chest. Wiggling closer to him, she gave him a hug and whispered, "Good morning Mr. Reese."**

 **John smiled at her gravelly morning voice and answered, "Good morning, Ms. Tate", as he continued to play with her hair. Taking a long strand, he felt its silky texture as he wrapped it around his finger. The morning light showed the deep red highlights in her dark hair. He loved burying his hands in her hair, it was thick and wavy and felt good in his hands. Carefully tucking that strand behind her ear, he slowly rolled her onto her back and kissed her closed eyes, one at a time.**

 **Meanwhile, Elise's hand slowly snaked its way up his chest to his shoulder and then his neck. Gradually opening her eyes, she looked deeply into his crystal blue ones and saw love looking back at her. Leaning low over her, John kissed her bottom lip and then gently sucked it into his mouth. He repeated the same move with her top lip. A gentle sigh escaped her mouth just before she pulled his head down to deepen the kiss. John's leg slid up between hers as his hand released her hair and slid down her back to her hip. Pulling her closer, he increased the intensity of his kiss. Feeling her breasts crushed against his chest, John's breathing changed. His whole body came awake and called to hers. Breaking the kiss, Elise threw her head back, exposing her neck. John slowly began to leave a trail of light kisses from the corner of her mouth, to her jaw and then down her neck. Pausing at the slight indentation in her neck, he nuzzled her ear and nibbled on her earlobe, causing Elise's body to arch up against his.**

 **Moving his hand up from her hip, he followed the curve to her waist and then to her breasts. Her breast filled his large hand. As always, he was amazed at how big her breasts were for someone as small as Elise. Kneading the mound, he found her nipple already erect and waiting for his mouth. Lowering his head from her neck, he kissed and nipped his way to its peak. Once more thankful that they both slept in the nude.**

 **Elise gasped as his warm mouth captured her nipple and suckled. Cradling his head with her hands, she gave herself over to the sensations he was bringing to the surface. Her breathing became more and more ragged. Again his hand began its well known journey down her body. Smoothly it slid over her rock hard abs down to the cleft between her legs. Elise's legs parted to allow him access. She was lost in her own body's sensations. The moan from Elise let John know his touch was welcome. As Elise pushed up against his hand, he slowly slid two fingers deeply inside her. Feeling her muscles squeeze tight against his fingers, he began moving his fingers round and round and then in and out. Repeating the motions over and over until he knew she was close.**

 **Raising his head from her breast he looked at her. He loved watching her respond to what he was doing to her body. It excited him to watch her enjoy his mouth on her, his fingers moving inside her. But now he wanted, no, needed to be inside her tight, wet heat. Slowly removing his hand, he smiled at the mewling sound Elise made and the way she pushed her hips up towards him.**

 **Moving carefully over her, keeping his weight on his elbows, he positioned himself and then slowly slid home into her. The velvet tightness was a perfect fit as it enveloped him with a scalding heat. Lifting her hips, he was able to push deep into her. Settling carefully on his elbows he was able to snake his arms under hers and along each side of her head. Nose to nose they were staring at each other, drinking each other in. Slowly he began to move, in and out, in and out. Taking his time, loving her with everything in his body.**

 **Elise was in another world. Her eyes were half closed, her mouth half open. Her mind was totally submerged in the sensations that John was evoking within her. Leaning down, he lightly kissed her open mouth, watching her eyes. As they slowly began to focus on him, he kissed her again. Sliding his tongue around her mouth he met only slight resistance, but the more he explored the more her tongue began to dance with his. Elise's hands came up and held each side of his face and she pulled him back down, deepening the kiss. Soon their tongues were following the same rhythm as their bodies.**

 **Slowly John increased his pace yet held himself in check. Mornings were still the best time to make love and to take as long as they wanted to, to worship each other with their bodies. There was no hurry, there was no world outside the two of them. They reveled in what they had found in each other and the way they could make each other feel. They would bring each other to the edge but then stop and let the feelings subside only to build them up once more. Elise made it a point to keep John's body humming just like hers. With only a few thrusts, they brought each other back to the brink over and over.**

 **John once again buried his hands in Elise's hair. Wrapping her legs around John's hips, Elise began to pick up the pace. Slowly, the speed of their in and out dance increased until they were both past the point of no return. Squeezing John's cock tightly with her internal muscles, Elise put her arms under John's and reached up to grab his shoulders. They were linked together and they were one. Again John found Elise's mouth and they devoured each other. Crushing her mouth with his own, John was also now lost in the sensation growing within him.**

 **Breaking the kiss, Elise pulled John closer and gasped out his name. Hearing his name on her lips pushed John further up that slope until he too was gasping out her name. Suddenly, they were both THERE. Holding each other tightly they felt the fire consume them at the same time, each one's reaction heightening the other's.**

 **Slowly their breaths returned to normal. Brushing her hair back from her face, John smiled down at Elise.**

 **"You do make waking up so very pleasant, Ms. Tate."**

 **Returning his smile Elise replied, "So glad you approve Mr. Reese. VERY glad you approve."**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Breathing heavily, John and Elise circled each other. Bathed in sweat, their movements were becoming sluggish from fatigue. They had been sparring for about thirty minutes and John was exhausted. He was healing quickly from his latest brush with death but his stamina had not completely recovered.

Blocking a punch from Elise, John swung around and used his elbow in a downward motion. It just missed Elise and she checked his elbow and threw another punch up and under the same arm. Catching him off balance, John staggered. Elise immediately ran to his side and declared practice was over.

"Enough John. You've proven enough today."

Pulling his arm over her shoulder, she helped him walk over to the bench up against the wall despite his attempts to pull away from her. Turning around, she quickly brought him back a bottle of water and gave it to him. Twisting off the cap of her own bottle, Elise used the bottle to hide her look of concern. Watching John sit there with bowed head, breathing deeply and eyes closed she was more than anxious that he had pushed himself too far, too soon. She knew he wanted to be back at full strength, that he was worried about her being out in the field without proper backup, but she needed to make him see that killing himself like this would not help. Reaching over, she took the bottle from him, took off the cap and handed it back to him.

A slight smile was her reward. John drained the bottle in one long swallow. Leaning his head back against the wall, he closed his eyes once again. Fatigue radiated from his body. Sweat soaked the black t-shirt he was wearing, showing the contours of the muscles of his shoulders and arms. He'd been able to use small free weights for his arms and shoulders while he recovered from being shot in the stomach but having to stay propped up in a bed for week taking it easy had weakened his midsection. Walking on the beach daily with her and Bear had kept his legs in good shape but his core was sorely lacking.

Elise cleared her throat, about to suggest taking a day off from sparring when John's cell phone rang. The noise was jarring and out of place. There had been no contact with the outside world for these last three weeks. Since driving back from NYC, the phone had not rung once, for which Elise was eternally thankful. But the strident and insistent sound of its ring, brought the real world crashing back.

John slowly stood up and walked to the table where the phone rested. Picking it up, he answered without checking the caller id.

"Hello Harold." John said quietly into the phone. Only two people had his number, Harold and Elise so it wasn't a big stretch to guess who was on the other line.

Elise stood to the side and sipped her bottle of water, watching John's face as he listened to Harold. She knew it had to be something about a new number and she knew it had to be very serious for Harold to call. Harold had been handling the numbers that came up with the help of Carter and Fusco. Having them on their team had been a God-send since John had been out of commission.

"Have you talked to Joss or Lionel yet?" was all John said. That got Elise's attention.

"Call them now and explain as much as you feel comfortable with. Elise and I will be back in the city within two hours." Snapping shut his phone, John bowed his head.

"What is it John? What's wrong?" Elise asked quietly. She knew it was VERY serious from the reaction she was seeing in him.

Shaking his head slowly, John raised his head and looked at Elise. "Two numbers came up this time. Two. And they belong to Taylor Carter and Lee Fusco."

Concern clearly showing in his eyes, John pushed away from the wall and started toward the house. Having only one car and one bike in the three car garage, they had turned one of the empty spaces into a workout area. Walking past the weight equipment, the elliptical and the treadmill, John made his way into the house.

Grabbing the empty water bottle, Elise followed Reese into the house, her own mind whirling with the knowledge that the new numbers were kids. Kids that she knew. Children of Friends. How could they both possibly be in trouble? She became very anxious to get back to the city to find an answer to that question.

Bear padded behind her into the house. Sensing her distress, Bear pushed his nose into her hand until she acknowledged him by scratching his ears. That simple action had a calming effect on her. Worry about John's physical condition coupled with the worry about the kids, had her stomach in knots. This was not good. Not good at all. John was far from his usual 100% peak condition. He might believe he was at least 90% but he still tired easily. But she also knew that he'd do whatever was necessary for his friends and his friends' children, regardless of what it did to him. She didn't blame him, would in fact do the same, but she also needed to watch out for him too.

Following John up the steps to their bedroom, her mind was already processing things that needed to be done once they got back to the city. Absent mindedly, she pulled off the clothes she'd worked out in and dropped them on the floor. She started toward the bathroom but then stopped, went back and picked up the clothes. Walking into the bathroom she saw that John was already in the shower. And of course his clothes were already in the hamper. Sighing deeply, she opened the hamper and dropped hers in and then smiling slightly, she realized he was rubbing off on her. His military background made him a neat freak while her bohemian upbringing tended to make her ...well, to be honest, a slob.

Stopping outside the shower stall, Elise paused to admire John Reese in all his glory. Standing under the shower with his head thrown back, the hot water cascading down his tall, lean muscled body made her smile grow into a grin. Even with that angry scar from his latest bullet wound on his lower stomach, John Reese was a very fine specimen to gaze upon. And he was hers. With that thought in mind, she opened the door and stepped into the shower.

Reaching for the washcloth and the liquid soap, Elise began to wash the sweat and grime from John's body. Their workout had been intense and neither held back, working as hard as they could for as long as they could. It was difficult not to let one thing lead to another, as they were wont to do, while taking a shower. They needed to be on the road back to NYC within thirty minutes. John quickly took his turn taking care of Elise's needs. Turning the water from hot to cold quickly took their minds off of anything else.

Within the required thirty minutes they were locking up. Bear jumped into the back seat of John's Porsche and lay down on the sheet put there to protect the leather seats. Turning the car on, it roared to life and settled into a deep purr as it warmed up. Throwing a few bags of clothes and food for Bear in the trunk, they climbed in and buckled up. Setting the house alarm remotely, they drove down the long winding driveway to the highway. Carefully checking for on-coming cars, Elise pulled out onto the highway and quickly put the powerful car through its paces. Soon they were cruising at 100 mph down the highway toward NYC.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Harold dialed Detective Carter. His mind was racing as he waited for her to pick up. Where would he start? How do you tell a woman that her precious son was in danger but not tell her HOW you knew? Or that you don't know where the danger is coming from?

Carter's voice was suddenly online "Homicide, Detective Carter".

"Joss, how are you?"

"Finch! So good to hear from you!"

"Joss, you're to call me Harold. We've already been over this." Harold smiled into his phone.

"I'm sorry...it's a habit that's hard to break. What can I do for you?"

Knowing Detective Carter like he did, Harold decided the blunt, direct approach would be best. "Joss, your son is in danger. Extreme danger and I'm afraid something may happen to him within the next 24-48 hours"

His words were met with silence. Finch listened intently and could hear Carter breathing, but she said nothing.

"Joss? Are you still there? Did you understand what I said? Your son is in danger." Harold's voice rose slightly in apprehension wondering if his approach was the right one.

"I'm...I'm here ...Fi...uh ...Harold. What makes you think Taylor is in trouble? What do you know?" Carter responded in a measure monotone, giving nothing away.

"I have...come upon some information, reliable information, that Taylor is in trouble. Something is going to happen to him soon. Someone wants to do him harm." Harold said quietly, trying to keep the panic out of his voice to keep Carter from panicking in turn.

Carter placed the phone receiver on her desk and covered her eyes with her hands. This was not what she wanted to hear. This was not what she NEEDED to hear. She had been on hyper alert status since Tierney had threatened Taylor. She made sure the school kept a wary eye out for any strangers; she checked on Taylor herself during the day just so she could touch base and know he was ok. Being a typical teenage boy, he was chafing at her constant hovering and was starting to push back. But now….now it seemed she was right to be worried and she wasn't happy about that fact.

The silence on Carter's end of the phone was unnerving. Harold knew he had shocked her but he was surprised at her silence.

"Joss, are you still there? Are you ok? Did you understand what I said?"

Through the fog of fear surrounding her, Carter heard Finch's voice. Picking the receiver up, she answered him, "I'm here Harold. I understand what you are saying. Harold, I think I might have an idea of where the danger might be coming from."

"Talk to me Joss. I can't help if I don't know who all of the players are."

Carter then told Finch about Tierney's threat to her, Taylor, Lionel and Lee. She told him that Tierney was blunt about the threat and that he didn't have a problem threatening her when almost anyone could have overheard him. He obviously felt confident that HR would be able to wield enough power to protect him.

That caught Finch off guard but also got his mind running in a new direction. Last time Taylor was threatened and kidnapped, it was Elias pulling the strings. HR had been the worker bees but had then been called off thanks to some maneuvering from him and John. Now it seemed as though HR was taking the lead on the threat to Carter AND Fusco and their kids.

"Did you tell Detective Fusco about Tierney's threat? Does he know that he and his son are in danger?" asked Finch.

"Yes, I did. I knew he needed to be more vigilant about who Lee was with and where he was when not in school. Why?" She questioned.

"Because both Taylor AND Lee are in danger. I have that knowledge from a very reliable source. And the threat is imminent."

The word imminent got through to Carter. Standing up at her desk, she asked if she needed to go get Taylor but Finch assured her he was safest at his school for the moment. However he did advise her to get Lionel up to speed ASAP about the danger both boys were in.

Before hanging up, Carter asked, "Does John know? And Elise? I remember how he promised me he'd protect Taylor. Does he know about this?"

"Yes Joss, he knows and they are on their way back to the city as we speak. I'm going to get them both up to speed with the information about the threat and that we now think we know the probable source of the danger: HR".

* * *

Hanging up with Carter, Finch quickly dialed Reese's phone. John answered on the first ring.

"Harold, how did Joss take it?" No preamble, he just got straight to the point. His biggest concern was how Joss would handle another threat to Taylor. He knew Taylor was her world and that she would move Heaven and Earth to protect him.

"Very well actually. She was already aware of the threat but not how immediate it was. Tierney showed his true colors and threatened Joss and Taylor, while at the same time admitting he was part of HR."

"HR? I thought we'd pretty much pulled their fangs and left them full of holes." John asked as he put the phone on speaker.

"Apparently we helped rid the department of a lot of the lower echelon players but the bigger heads are still around calling shots. Tierney had no problem threatening Joss, in the interrogation room, right there in the police station. I don't like what that implies, what Detective Tierney believes in regards to his immunity and invincibility. He verbally threatened her and Taylor as well as Detective Fusco and his son. HR is making this personal, John, and that worries me…" Harold trailed off, deep in thought.

"Lionel? He specifically mentioned Lionel? That's not good. We need them to keep thinking he's one of them. We may need to push him more into the fold to get some answers." John said with a grimace.

"Where are you now, John? How long before you get back to the library?"

Glancing over at Elise, behind the steering wheel he cocked one eyebrow. "About 45 minutes out Harold." She answered. "I'm driving and I'm not quite the daredevil driver that John is."

"Not in my car you better not be!" John smiled teasingly at her for a second before his face took on a more serious mien.

"Please hurry, I really don't know how much time we have. I'd feel much better having the boys somewhere safe so we can concentrate on the threat of HR." Harold said as he hung up.

* * *

Snapping the prepaid phone shut, Reese's mind started forming a plan using the information Harold had just given him. Leaning on his right elbow, he absently rubbed his chin, staring out the window, but seeing nothing.

Elise concentrated on her driving while being very aware of John in car next to her. She knew better than to interrupt his train of thought and so she had to gnaw on her bottom lip to keep her questions to herself. In the backseat, Bear had sat up the moment he heard Harold's voice. His ears perked straight up and almost touched the roof of the Porsche. He let out a small whine after John had hung up and Harold's voice ceased. Elise reached back and scratched him under the chin to let him know she understood.

"We're going to need Fusco and his knowledge of HR to handle this." mused John.

"That's going to be difficult since this threat includes his son. He's not going to want to do anything that would jeopardize Lee's life."

"I know, that's why we've got to get both boys to safety before we can make a move on HR. I'll handle Lionel."

"John! When are you going to realize that Lionel is more than an asset for you to exploit!" Elise almost shouted.

"I take care of my assets." John answered almost harshly.

Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Reese paused and exhaled. Opening his eyes he looked over at Elise. He recognized that tight look on her face; he knew there was more she wanted to say. He also knew she was right. He'd come to rely on Lionel to do the right thing when asked, or in many cases, do what he was told to do. He knew Lionel was a good cop with good instincts that had saved John's life more than once. But to admit that Lionel was more than an asset, more like a friend...that would expand his circle of protection even farther; he wasn't sure HE was ready for that. It already included Elise and Harold and Grace... Carter and Taylor...but to add Lionel and Lee….that meant there were more people in his life he cared about than he'd ever expected. John would have done anything to help save a kid but this time, it was the son of someone he knew, someone he CARED about, he admitted to himself. Once someone passed over that line to become someone he truly cared for, it became his natural urge to protect them at all costs. Shaking his head he realized that Lionel had already come under his protection when he'd saved the man from being shot in the woods that night.

"Think how many times he's gone beyond what you've asked him to do! How many times he's saved your life! And mine! How can you still think of him that way?" Elise asked in an exasperated voice.

Before she could continue, John interrupted her tirade, "I take care of my assets. But, you're right Elise. He is more than an asset. And you're right, I owe him...for myself, for Harold and Grace...and you."

"Is that what I am John? Am I considered an asset too?" Elise said softly. She didn't want to ask the question but a tiny part of her needed to hear the answer.

Reaching over and brushing her hair behind her shoulder, he wrapped a tendril around his finger, loving the softness and the darkness. Tucking it behind her ear he leaned over and whispered, "You are more than an asset. You have been from the moment I jumped into your car."

That brought a smile to her face. Glancing over at John, Elise visibly relaxed. Her grip had gotten tighter on the steering wheel during the conversation and she consciously relaxed that as well.

"I'll make sure Lionel and his son are safe but that still doesn't alter the fact that we need to use his contacts to infiltrate HR. Without his help, we'll never be able to completely cut the head off the snake. For now, we need both boys completely safe so we can focus on HR. They are going down so completely this time that they will no longer be a threat to anybody ever again." John said with finality.

John called Harold back and told him to have Carter and Fusco meet them in the library as soon as possible. Being his usual cryptic self, all John would say was that he had the beginnings of a plan but needed everybody together to work out the details. Again, snapping the phone closed, John struggled to find a comfortable position in the car. Absentmindedly, he rubbed his side where Stanton had shot him. The length of the ride was starting to make him ache and though he noticed the discomfort, he forced it from his mind as he'd trained himself to do in the past. Elise noticed out of the corner of her eye and bit her bottom lip. John was not 100% but would never admit it to anyone, especially not now when someone he cared about was in danger. Which meant it was all the more reason for HER to worry.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

The Porsche ate up the miles as Elise's mind turned over the conversation as she'd heard from Reese's end. She had a suggestion to make but decided to wait until they got to the library and they could ALL discuss the method of operation (or MO as they referred to it in the service). Picking up her own phone, she placed a call to Grace. Grace answered on the second ring and was obviously surprised to hear from her since Grace knew that she and Reese were supposed to be at the beach house recuperating. Elise asked Grace to meet her at the library and bring a suitcase with her. Overhearing the conversation, Reese looked at Elise with a raised eyebrow, wondering what was going on. Elise only gave him a smile and kept her eyes on the road as she hung up with Grace.

"I'll explain later." She told him to which he just nodded, knowing Elise would tell him in her own time.

Turning off the outdoor alarm on the library remotely, Elise turned into the underground garage and parked the Porsche beside Finch's big black Town car. Getting out of the driver's side, Elise watched John struggle to get out of the passenger side. Standing up straight, he stretched his back and his legs but obviously favored his right side, not noticing Elise's look. Pushing his way out of the backseat, Bear was obviously glad to be out of what passed as a backseat in the sportscar. Walking toward the elevator, John looked back at his car. It looked small but sinister parked next to the big Town car. He frowned at the road grime on his 'baby' and before pushing the thought from his mind in favor of more important matters, he promised himself to clean her up later. Noticing his look, Elise smiled and shook her head, boys and their toys. She was careful to reset the alarm before getting on the elevator. Harold's paranoia rubbed off on everybody, eventually.

Walking into the library Bear lead the way, alert to any strange smells or sights. But all seemed well, nothing but familiar smells. Going around the desk he sat down next to Harold and put his muzzle in the man's lap.

"Bear! Where are John and Elise?" Looking up, he saw them walking into the main room. "Oh there you are. You made great time getting here." He said as he scratched Bear behind the ears. Taking in John's stiff walk and obvious weight-loss, Harold had to work hard not to show his concern.

Carter was not so reserved and immediately went to John and hugged him. "John, I'm so glad to see you." Stepping back she looked him up and down. "But you don't look like you're fully recovered yet. Are you ok?"

Fusco was even more blunt "Hey Wonderboy, you look terrible! Are you sure your ass is up for this?"

Blinking rapidly, John pasted a smirk on his face and answered "I'm fine Lionel, thank you for your concern about my ass." Changing his smirk to a smile, he reached out with one hand and grasped Carter by the shoulder, "I'm fine and well enough to take care of this HR scum once and for all so that you, Lionel and the boys don't have to look over your shoulders for the rest of your lives."

"Where are the boys now?" John asked.

"They are both still at school. It helps having them both at the same school, our resources won't be stretched too much. I've alerted the school to be on the lookout for any unusual people or deliveries, ANYTHING out of the ordinary. So far nothing. I think HR is just keeping an eye on them so if they need to, they can act quickly." Harold explained, watching how Carter and Fusco reacted to the information. Only Finch's calm voice of reason kept both Carter and Fusco from flying out of the library to the school to get their sons. Finch explained that while the boys were ok for the moment, he wanted to get them away to a safe house until they had a chance to deal with the latest threat from HR. Their biggest worry for the moment, he explained was to not tip their hands and let on that they knew the boys were in danger, hence the reason Joss and Lionel couldn't be seen picking up their kids. If HR saw the boys with their parents, they might decide to attack Carter and Fusco in ways none of them had foreseen or planned for. Both parents nodded and due to their history with Finch, Elise and Reese, they felt confident in placing their trust and their children's lives in the hands the men and woman.

Reese asked Harold if there was a way to pull any HR watchers away from the school so that he and Elise could go get the boys out without being noticed. Fusco actually chimed in at that point, telling them there was a code phrase that could be broadcast over the police band that an HR member was in serious trouble and needing help from his fellow members. Usually it meant some kind of cover-up was needed.

Rubbing his face thoughtfully, a plan was forming in John's head. He asked Harold if he could hack into the communications center and have the police band broadcast the code without it being obviously originating from Lionel and therefore its authenticity being questioned. His question was met with a raised eyebrow from Harold as if to say 'you really have to question my ability to do that?'.

"Sorry...just asking" said John. John liked the idea but reminded Fusco that he would need to also show up in response to the 'distress' call to prevent any suspicion from falling on him.

Looking at Carter, John advised, "Joss, you need to be back at the precinct, in full view of other HR members, when this call goes out. I don't want HR to have any clue what's going on and who is behind this, at the very least not until we have the boys out of their reach completely."

Joss and Lionel exchanged a look of distress and frustration but both understood this was the only way to keep the focus on them and not their sons.

At that point, the alarm sounded that someone was entering the garage. Harold glanced quickly at the security monitor and was surprised to see Grace getting out of her car. Looking up questioningly, his eyes met Elise's and he saw her smile. Obviously Grace was here at Elise's request. Standing up, Harold walked to the door of the main room and waited until Grace had walked in. Giving her a light hug and kiss, he limped back to his desk holding her hand.

Grace hugged Elise tightly whispering, "I've got a bag with clothes in my car like you asked. Are you going to tell me why I'm here?" Pulling back, she looked at Elise and it was obvious that both women felt their bond, formed during their abduction and torture, get stronger at the implied secrecy. Elise knew this was a serious matter, but she couldn't help but wink conspiratorially at Grace.

Turning to John, Grace looked at him with a frown on her face and hugged him gingerly. "John, don't you want to sit down? You look a little peaked. Are you fully recovered from that awful wound?" Taking his arm, she didn't wait for an answer and walked him over to a chair. Elise stayed where she was, watching the interaction between John and Grace. To those who didn't know her, Grace appeared to be simply a gentle soul, one who was kind and considerate of others. It was part of the reason that she could get away with her words to John. If Elise had said the same thing to him, she had no doubt that he would just brush off her concern and work that much harder to appear to be totally healed. However to those who knew Grace well, as Elise did, knew that under that soft-spoken appearance, Grace had a backbone of steel and a resolve that was second to none. Elise sighed inwardly and made a note to keep a close eye on John and his level of fatigue. She couldn't let him push himself too hard or let others do it either or he might fail just when they needed him the most. She glanced at the others and they all exchanged looks. They could see he wasn't 100%. Some of their confidence visibly fell away.

After getting John settled, Grace walked back to Harold and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Does somebody want to tell me why we are all here in the library in the middle of the day?" she asked. Within twenty minutes Harold had brought her up to speed about the threat to Carter, Fusco and their sons. Nodding her head, she now understood why they had called John and Elise back from the beach house.

"So what's the plan?" she asked.

"I think I can answer that." Elise said as she stepped forward. "From what I understand, we need to get both boys somewhere completely safe so we can concentrate on HR. The safest place for the boys is out of the city entirely. Why not let them go to my beach house and stay with Grace and Bear? HR knows nothing of the beach house and nothing of Grace. The only place they will be completely safe would be there." No one outside of this room knows about it or where it is."

Before she could go on, Carter interjected a reminder that Stanton had found John there. "No, she didn't. She found him in the town nearby." Elise clarified. "She never found my house and SHE had access to information that I'm quite sure HR does not. The driveway to my house, from the road, is so well camouflaged that it takes GPS coordinates to figure out where to turn, especially if you've never been there before. Grace can take care of the boys there and Bear can be their extra layer of security. Harold made sure that my beach house is probably the most secure home on the East Coast!" She smiled fondly at the man.

Grace too smiled. It felt good to be able to help her friends once again. Now she understood why Elise had told her to bring a suitcase.

Everybody started talking at once. Some thought the idea was great, others were not so sure. Elise just stood back and let them work it out. She knew she was right. Looking up, she met Grace's eyes and matched her smile.

Finally it was agreed by all that the boys would be safest out of town at the beach house. Now all they had to do was get them there. John had already suggested that he and Elise go get the boys. Meanwhile, Fusco and Carter needed to be back on the job and 'visible' when the broadcast for HR went out. Hugging everyone goodbye, Carter left with Fusco, who shook everybody's hand after promising to call the school to give permission for them to pick up their sons.

Stopping at the door, Lionel looked back at John, Elise, Harold and Grace. "We're putting our children's safety in your hands. Letting someone else do the job of taking care of my son when he's in danger is the hardest thing I've ever done. But I feel like it's the right decision...the only decision, we can make. So thank you." Turning around, he followed Carter down the stairs. Finch took a deep breath, touched by Detective Fusco's trust in them and then urged John and Elise to go get the boys using his Town car.

John and Elise were quiet on their way down to the garage. Both wrapped up in their own thoughts. John worrying about keeping the boys and Grace safe AND keeping Elise out of harm's way so he could concentrate on HR. Elise worrying about convincing John that she needed to be back in NYC helping to take down HR. She truly felt that the security system at her beach house plus the addition of Bear, were enough to keep the boys and Grace out of danger.

Elise again slipped behind the wheel and John didn't argue. He needed to grab any rest he could get at any time. The ride in from the beach house had been surprisingly tiring. He knew he wasn't at 100% and that galled him. But in the past, he'd pulled off missions when he was well under full battle readiness and he was confident that he could handle anything that might come up. So he took a deep breath and decided to face his biggest obstacle: convincing Elise to stay with Grace and the boys at beach house. The argument that was to ensue once he voiced his opinion was something he was truly dreading. He loved Elise with everything he had in him and as a result had to constantly fight his urge to protect her from ANY harm whenever they worked a number together.

In the car the silence was deafening. Neither Elise nor John was willing to speak first. Both were anticipating the argument that was waiting in the wings. Each were preparing for it and marshalling their reasons for their own point of view. Elise kept her eyes on the road and John was looking anywhere but the road or Elise.

Before he could even begin to explain his plan, Elise spoke up with hers.

"Don't even think about suggesting that I sit this out on a beach outside NYC. There is no way you are going to face the wrath of HR by yourself once they discover the boys are gone."

John held up one hand, prepared to explain why she SHOULD stay there, but she stopped him before he could get started.

"Harold made sure that I have the top of the line security system in that house and all along the property line. There are NO houses within two miles of me in any direction. You know how difficult it was to even FIND it, much less 'sneak' up on the place. Grace and the boys will be fine. And they will have Bear….who is as good as two of me…...even if he DOES slobber in his sleep more than I do." She turned to him and smiled.

Gripping the steering wheel of the powerful car, she focused on the road and waited for Reese to try and disprove anything she had said. Hearing nothing, she glanced over at him and saw he was deep in thought….weighing the pros and cons of her argument. She knew he respected her opinion well enough to give her plan serious consideration at least. Quietly trying to outwait him, Elise added one more reason they would be safe and secure.

"John, Grace knows how to handle a gun. I've been training her the last couple of months when you and Harold were busy. After we were kidnapped and rescued, she asked me to teach her how to handle a gun. Trust me, Grace may appear sweet and delicate but she is a DAMN good shot and would have no problem taking out anybody who threatens her or those she loves. I've got my own arsenal up there. I can make sure she knows where everything is and how to use anything she may need. They won't be up there helpless." she said and her voice trailed off.

Again glancing at John, she could almost see how his mind was evaluating the options that she presented.

Turning to look at her, John was surprised to see her bottom lip stuck out. She was obviously geared up and ready for a fight. He almost laughed out loud because she had convinced him. There was no need for an argument.

"OK, I see the logic in what you suggested. Glad to hear that Grace knows how to use a gun. Just don't tell Harold that!" he said with a soft chuckle.

Elise glanced at John and favored him with a big smile. She loved it when they were of like mind and both were on the same page.

Inwardly Elise sighed, so glad they come to an decision without a lot of arguing. Sometimes their own individual stubbornness got in the way and made them blind to the other's valid reasoning. But not this time. Besides, there was no way she going to let Reese, in less than his normal fighting form, go into this by himself. She would have his back...always.

Parking the car in the service area, they got out and headed to the headmaster's office. Since Carter and Fusco had called ahead, both boys were in the office ready to leave. Exiting the school through the empty lunchroom area, Elise and John felt confident that they were not observed and that any HR watchers were unaware that the boys had even left.

Meanwhile, Taylor remembered John from the time he'd been rescued from Elias. He remembered thinking what a real badass the guy was and he explained what had happened to Lee who was suitably impressed. However, both boys looked in askance at Elise. She was kind of small and real pretty and didn't look badass at all. Both boys threw back their shoulders and in the manner of teenage boys, almost strutted down the hall. Elise had a hard time biting back the laughter, but remembered how easily teenage boys' egos could be bruised. John looked at her questioningly when she almost choked on a snicker as the boys began to argue and boast to each other about how well they played particular sports, She just shook her head and grinned. When she showed no sign of having heard them, both boys attempted to ask her what was going on but John waved them off and told them to hold their questions until later.

* * *

After everyone had left except Grace, Finch turned back to his monitors and frowned. Grace noticed immediately.

"Harold? What's wrong? What did you not tell everybody?"

Turning towards Grace, Harold tried to put his concern about the Machine into words. He'd taken a screenshot of the 'communication' the Machine had sent him, asking for help. Pulling it back up on the main monitor, he pointed at it.

"This is what is worrying me. I don't know how to respond. I don't know what to do. But I do know that something is very wrong." Harold explained, his voice fading off into a whisper.

Stepping over to the monitor, Grace leaned in to look. Seeing the startling words of 'Help me' appear on the screen was alarming. According to what Harold had told her, The Machine was all knowing, all powerful. So how and why would it need help?

Leaning over him, Grace wrapped her arms around Harold and gave him the only help she could, "You'll figure it out. You built it. I have faith in you." she said confidently.

Harold reached up and hugged her arms, feeling calmer than he'd felt since he first saw those words on his monitor. Grace always knew what to say to help him. He still couldn't believe that he'd been able to go through all those years without her by his side. 'Never again.' He thought to himself, vowing once more to do whatever it took to keep her safe.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Some time later, the boys looked dubiously at the old run down building they were entering as their car pulled into the underground garage. The first inkling of doubt appeared in Taylor's mind about leaving with John. Glancing over at Lee, he gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. Turning his eyes back to the front, he caught Elise looking at him in the rear view mirror. She smiled and he smiled back without thinking. She had pretty blue eyes he noticed.

Once the car was parked, Reese and Elise got the boys out and in the elevator quickly, leaving their school bags in the car. The boys were more than curious about what was going on. They knew they were meeting up with their parents but not why. Riding up in the elevator, the boys were trying to act nonchalant but were both feeling out of their element and out of their comfort zone. Reese was a tall, quietly imposing man who spoke little but had an air of no nonsense about him. Neither boy was used to being around such an alpha male and it made them just barely on edge. Taylor and Lee kept sneaking looks at Elise. She was still a mystery to them, a very pretty mystery both boys thought. She was small and yet there was something about her...she seemed to have an aura of deadly calm about her if one looked closely.

As the elevator door opened they were met by a large dog barring their way. Ears up, mouth open, tongue hanging out with his tail curled over his back…..Bear was an imposing sight. Taylor and Lee stepped back involuntarily and bumped into Reese and Elise.

John immediately said in Dutch "Beneden ... blijven"...meaning down, stay. Bear recognized the voice and the command and sat down. Elise walked around the boys and scratched Bear between the ears and was rewarded with a licked hand and a wagged tail. Motioning the boys over she 'introduced' them to Bear. Giving them the name "vriend"...friend in Dutch. The boys needed to be comfortable around Bear and Bear needed to know they were under his 'protection' if their stay at the beachhouse was going to work.

All four exited the elevator and Reese led the way to the area where Finch and Grace were waiting. Finch rose and greeted each boy. He had met them a time or two since he began paying for their schooling. He re-introduced them to Grace. They had met her previously just before the boys had started their new, very exclusive school thanks to Harold's recommendation. Grace immediately connected with each young man. She was a natural. People were drawn to her sweetness.

Carter and Fusco moved to hug their sons; both working hard not to show their true feelings of alarm at the seriousness of the situation. Each then spent a private moment with their son. Meanwhile, Finch, Reese and Elise stepped to the side to discuss the next step in protecting the boys.

"I think we got away with the the boys cleanly" John said, watching Grace and the boys with each of their parents.

"I agree. Never saw any tail and we were monitoring the headmaster's phone and no alarm went out" Elise added.

Watching the non-verbal cues between John and Elise, Harold wondered what was going on. They all needed to be on the same page if they were to keep these boys safe. HR had already proven it had no problem killing anybody who got in their way. Tierney's open threat to Carter proved that.

"Excellent, now for the next step. I agree that Elise's home would be the safest place and the last place HR would even think to look. If Stanton and the CIA couldn't find it, I am quite sure HR couldn't find it. But what is the best way to get them there?" Finch asked, look first at John and then Elise. Neither answered and he suddenly knew what the tension in the room was about ...who was going to take Grace and the boys to the beach house and who was going to stay in NYC.

"I will leave the particulars for the two of you to work out about how to get them all to the beach house safely. I suggest you get past your differences and decide on a plan of action immediately. Time is truly of the essence." said Finch with an unusual rebuke in his voice. Really, the two of them could be so hard-headed about who did what, that the problem could become worse before they finally came to a decision.

Taking a deep breath, John turned to Elise and started his speech, "Elise, I think you should take the Grace and the boys to your house and I'll stay here. " his voice trailed off as Elise turned stormy gray eyes on him. Normally her eyes were a deep blue but he'd noticed that when she got angry the blue faded into the background her eyes turned steel gray.

"I agree that I should take them to the house and get them settled. But I thought we had already decided I was coming back here to help. You are going to need as many people as possible for this take down. HR is NOT a small time group of criminals." Elise lifted her chin and almost glared at John, daring him to say no. Had he completely forgotten their discussion in the car?

Elise counted off on her fingers as she voiced her thoughts on the matter. "Number 1, the house is almost impossible to locate unless you had the exact GPS coordinates and Harold has made sure it shows up NOWHERE, google maps or otherwise. Number 2, the security system on the property and the house were top of the line with super sensitive early warning system, Number 3, they will have Bear with them. He's better than any surveillance system yet devised as far as seeing danger before it gets there. And you and I both know he is a killer if he is given the command and Number 4, Grace can handle a gun. So between the security system of the house, Bear and Grace...they will be in excellent hands to be safe. Unless you can come up with something I haven't thought of, I think the decision has been made." Elise folded her arms and took a step back. Cocking her head to one side, she raised one eyebrow, waiting for John to concede.

Seeing the slight smile John had on his face made her narrow her eyes as she looked at him. Just what thought brought that smile to his face? Elise was very wary of him when he looked like that. She usually ended up doing something the way HE wanted not the way she wanted when he had that look.

"OK Elise. You've made some excellent points. I agree with all of them and I am especially pleased about Grace learning to use a gun," John said quietly, a slight smile still playing around his mouth. She lowered her guard a bit but she was still wary and waiting for the second shoe to drop.

"You drive Grace and the boys to your house. Make sure they're safe and show Grace all the bells and whistles of the security system. Just give me a day or two to scope out HR and see what kind of plan Harold can come up with. I'll call you when we need you back here AND I promise it will be before we make a move against them" John finished in hurry, seeing that Elise was about to interrupt.

As much as she hated being left out of the planning stages, Elise knew John was right. She couldn't just dump Grace and the boys at the house without some instructions on the security. And the house had very little food in it, especially if there were going to be two teenage boys staying there for any length of time so a shopping trip would be necessary. Grudgingly, Elise smiled back up at John, showing her acceptance of his plan. Again he was amazed that her gray eyes were back to the deep blue he loved looking into. He smiled back, feeling the tension ease from both of them.

After the boys said their goodbyes, they excitedly headed toward the elevator. Grace hugged Harold tightly and whispered words only for him. Returning her hug, Harold closed his eyes and let the sound of her voice wash over him. He never tired of hearing her say his name. After all those years they were apart when he'd never been able to hear her voice, he savored every time and every moment. Truth be told, he was very anxious about having Grace put herself in harm's way, but he saw the necessity of her role and took comfort in knowing that she would be a 'method of last resort'. He knew both John and Elise would lay down their lives, as would he and gladly, before they let anything or anyone dangerous anywhere near Grace. Pulling back from the hug he looked into her eyes and saw his love reflected back. Grace reached up and cupped his face and gently kissed him on the lips. Smiling as she pulled away, she squeezed his hand and stepped into the elevator with the boys, all waiting for Elise to say her goodbyes.

Behind Harold, Grace could see Elise and John talking. Elise was her usual hyper, overly animated self and John was his usual calm, quiet, controlled self. Smiling to herself Grace, shook her head. They were such a strangely matched pair. They were so much alike and yet so very different at the same time. But it worked. She'd never seen a couple more finely in tune with each other.

"John, promise me you will call as soon as you have things worked out. Don't wait one minute. And don't you even THINK of doing anything without me! I know you want me to wait at the beach house til you call, but I am NOT leaving you to fight HR by yourself. You know you're not at full strength and you know you need me." The rest of what she was about to say was cut off when John leaned over and cut short her rant with a kiss. That was always the best way to stop things from escalating, he'd learned. Smiling against her mouth, he pulled her close and hugged her tight. Wrapped in his arms, Elise was helpless against his usual way of ending a disagreement. She KNEW he did it on purpose but damned if she could resist the man. Snuggling under his chin, she wrapped her own arms around him and hugged him gently, as always, conscious of his latest injury.

"Keep your phone with you and you'll be the first to know what the plan is. Take care of Grace and the boys and make sure she knows how to command Bear. He'll be their last line of defense in a pinch." He mumbled into her hair.

Leaning back from the hug, Elise favored him with the smile she'd saved only for him. It always made his heart ache with the intensity of the love he felt for her. Tucking her hair behind her right ear, he gave her one last kiss to take with her. Elise responded immediately and kissed him back with all the love she had to give. She hated being apart from him; she hated leaving him when he was not on his best game but she knew this was the best thing to do for right now.

She lingered a bit long in the kiss until she heard a few people clearing their throats behind her. Grinning and then disengaging herself from John, Elise squeezed his hand one last time and stepped into the elevator. Turning around she looked at John...blue eyes to blue eyes. Their complete trust in each other was plain for anyone watching to see.

"Bear, Kommen" commanded Elise. Bear whined, walked past Reese and sniffed his hand long enough for Reese to scratch his ears and then trotted into the elevator, turned and sat down by Elise.

Watching the door close, everyone in the library had the same thought. 'Be safe, please be safe'. John, Harold, Joss and Lionel stood united in their concern and relief as the elevator traveled down to the basement taking everything they loved with it.

"All right, let's get the details worked out about how we're going to end HR for good this time." John said as he turned and walked back into the room with the monitors.

* * *

Getting the boys and a large dog settled in the backseat of Harold's big town car took longer than expected, but thirty minutes later Elise, Grace, Bear and the boys were headed across the Brooklyn Bridge. The boys had been talking animatedly about the video games they'd brought, content in their own little and Elise fell into their comfortable relationship immediately. They made sure to stay in touch by phone almost daily and saw each other every other week. Little time was needed to get caught up.

Without preamble Grace asked, "How is John really doing? How is his rehab? He looks awfully thin to me."

Keeping her eyes on the road, Elise bit her bottom lip. Hearing her worries put into words by another was proof that she was not imagining things. Taking a deep breath she answered, "He's almost 100% but not quite. His stamina is still in question. He's been eating like a horse but we've been training hard and I think he burns off almost everything he consumes."

"Training? I thought he was supposed to be convalescing! Resting! What in the world have you two been doing?" Grace asked in shock.

Smiling slightly and raising her eyebrow, Elise glanced at Grace.

Seeing that smile, Grace blushed immediately. "Oh my! I didn't mean…. I was just… please don't. Oh Elise!" she ended up laughing which set Elise off. The boys looked up front and then at each other but shook their heads at the women giggling in the front seat and went back to their games. Both women relaxed and leaving the subject of John's health for the moment, they fell back into their everyday talk about living with two 'digital age vigilantes'.

Arriving at the turn off to the beach house, Elise glanced at the rear view mirror and ahead on the road and saw no one. Turning quickly the big car moved in behind the dunes and quickly disappeared from the roadway. Special sand traps that shot sand out over the road activated to erase the tire tracks leading off the road. Winding their way down the drive to the house, the boys quickly put down their games and gasped at the landscape around them. Being city boys, they were not often around sand dunes or near an actual beach and ocean.

Pulling up to the house, Elise activated the remote for the garage and the door opened slowly, revealing a spacious area with plenty of room for the big town car. The garage door closed quickly behind the car as it came to a stop. Jumping out of the car, the boys were immediately drawn to the big bike parked next to the car. Laughing at their eagerness, Elise and Grace got out and made their way around to the trunk. Calling the boys back over, they each loaded up with the bags and made their way to the house with Bear leading the way.

Walking in through the kitchen, the boys were chatting nonstop about the coolness of the bike and how much they wanted a chance to ride it. Exiting the kitchen into the great room, the bike was soon forgotten upon spying the pool table. Dropping the bags, they ran over and started looking for the pool cues and racking up the balls. Grace called out to them that there was plenty of time for that AFTER they got settled in.

Looking at Elise, Grace asked "Who is going to sleep where? You only have two bedrooms." She said with a frown.

"No worries. The boys can share the room downstairs. They'll have Bear with them. You and I can share up stairs. It's a really big bed." said Elise with a smile and she waggled her eyebrows.

Grace burst out laughing and said for only Elise's ears, "You are SO wanton!"

Giggling, Elise said, "Takes one to know one! I know you and Harold have likely been making up for lost time!"

Grace blushed and tried to change the subject, "Alright young men, you heard Elise. Let's get your bags into your room and we'll go check out the beach." Taylor and Lee mumbled and grumbled but then changed their tune at the mention of the word 'beach'.

"Wait for us inside till we get back downstairs. We won't be long. I want to check the perimeter, err, outside before we go down to the beach." Elise told the kids. 'Damn!' she thought , she didn't want to alarm the boys more than she had to. Saying 'perimeter' had a more ominous sound than 'outside'. But then again, Elise wanted them to be hyper aware of their surroundings when they were outside.

Stopping at the bottom of the stairs Elise felt that familiar ache of wanting, no needing to see John waiting at the top for her. Shaking her head, she gave herself a mental shake to keep her mind on the task at hand. Running through a list of things to see to, check, and do to make sure her beach house was as safe and secure as she promised it would be, she pushed John out of her mind and climbed the stairs quickly.

Grace had not been back to the house since Harold had purchased it, secretly, for Elise and had asked her to help decorate it. She was pleased to see that very little had been changed, that she had guessed correctly what Elise would like. She saw a change here and there, but they were small and totally Elise. John's sense of order could also be seen in small adjustments such as where a piece of furniture was positioned or how tightly the bed had been made. Walking out onto the upper deck, from the bedroom, Grace had to admire the view. She was surprised that Elise and John could ever be torn away from such a beautiful, relaxing view. It was completely private with almost an 180 degree view of the beach below.

Turning back around, she caught Elise holding a piece of clothing that was obviously John's. Elise was holding it to her face and inhaling the scent of John from the shirt. Holding it out, she carefully folded it and hugged it tightly as she walked to the chest of drawers to put it away. Careful to make some noise so Elise wouldn't know she had been seen, Grace walked back into the room from the deck and made her way to the stairs.

"Did you say you wanted to check something before we went down to the beach?" She asked.

Snapping out of her reverie, Elise immediately zipped past Grace and made her way to the stairs. "Yes, I'll be right back, then we can walk out to the water." Looking around she called out "Bear! Hier! Kommen Sie!" Bear came running from the boys' room and went to the door leading to the deck and sat down, waiting for Elise.

Walking outside, Elise gave Bear the command to check and look for danger. She followed Bear, gun drawn, ready for anything. They came up clear as she'd thought they would. Harold had done an exceptional job in finding this haven for her but she'd had to make sure. Once again she felt that bringing the boys and Grace here was the best decision.

Walking back on the deck, she made sure to put away her gun before the boys saw her. Motioning for them to come on out, she waited for Grace to join her while they ran past her. Bear stayed with her until she gave him the command to go with the boys and his favorite word, "Schwimmen" and he bounded after the boys and past them quickly and dove into the waves.

After a while, Grace mentioned that the boys were probably hungry. That made Elise sit up. She'd completely forgotten about food. She knew her pantry was pretty sparse. She'd have to go into town for some groceries. Calling Bear and the boys back out of the water, she told them they'd need to go in and get showers while she took care of something to eat.

Once inside, Elsie showed Grace all the safety and security features Harold had built into the house. She also advised her to not let the boys back outside, even on the deck, til she got back.

Grace laughed and said "I think the pool table will keep them quite entertained for awhile".

Walking back into the garage, Elise sighed a deep sigh. She would really have preferred driving Reese's Porsche instead of Harold's town car. Hopping into the front seat she brought the big car to life and hit the remote to open the garage door. Backing out, she closed the door and checked the beach house from this side. It looked strong and secure. No telltale lights were showing.

Following the long drive back to the highway, she turned the headlights off and coasted out of the dunes. Again the road was deserted in both directions. Turning right toward the town, she turned the headlights back on as she picked up speed. Running through the grocery list she had in her head, she almost missed the car coming up behind her. Someone on this stretch of highway at this time of day was unusual enough to get her full attention. Dropping her speed back to the legal limit, she watched the car get closer and closer. Eventually it closed the gap and was right behind her. With the headlights reflecting back in the mirror, she couldn't tell much about the vehicle behind her. Eventually the driver got tired of the speed limit on this deserted highway and pulled out to pass her. As the car moved around her she was alert. The driver wasted no time passing her and moving back into her lane. The car then accelerated quickly. Not feeling threatened, Elise let the car pull away from her. She was tensely alert but experience had made it a hard habit to break and considering who she was protecting, felt she had good reason to be.

Entering the grocery store, Elise was immediately reminded that this was the place where Stanton had caught up with Reese and kidnapped him. Seeing the same cashier that she had spoken to then, she flashed her a smile and went about her way gathering the items she came knew teenage boys liked to eat, frequently in fact, and they weren't too picky about what; so she shopped accordingly. Picking up a couple of things that Grace could cook easily and quickly she headed to the check out.

"Why hello there! You ever find that good looking fella you were after last time?" the cashier asked, reminding Elise that this was after all a small town.

"Yes, I did and thank you for your help. " Elise murmured.

"Glad for you honey; he sure was one fine looking man. Mmm, mmm, mmm." She said, shaking her head back and forth and almost appearing to lick her lips. "Sure would been a shame to let one like that get away!" the woman said, grinning cheekly.

Elise matched her smile and answered, "Yes, yes he most certainly is. "

Putting the bags in the trunk, Elise couldn't keep the grin off her face. John seemed to meet the approval of women everywhere. And he was hers!

Climbing back into the driver's seat, she turned the car on and backed out to start the short trip back home. Keeping a wary eye out while she was still in any type of populated area, she was relieved when she finally got back to the deserted section of the road back to the beach house.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Crouched behind pallets in the warehouse, Reese had a bird's eye view of the open area below. Simmons was taking his time walking into the building. Reese still wasn't sure exactly where he was. He'd been following Simmons for the better part of the day and this was just the latest stop. So far, he still had no idea just what Simmons was up to or if he'd even meet up with the higher echelons of HR but he was guessing it would be sooner rather than later.

Checking his weapon, Reese saw he had a full clip. Quietly sliding the clip back into the Glock, he removed the safety. Keeping to the shadows he moved closer to the area in the center. There was someone standing in the shadows. He was hoping it would finally be the man they were searching for.

Realizing he hadn't checked in with Carter or Fusco, he reached up to key in the ear bud to contact them. Before he touched it, two men met in the middle of the floor below and he heard Simmons greet the other man.

"Hello sir. Sorry to call you out on such short notice but something is up. Carter and Fusco's kids have disappeared from their school. Your plan of using the kids as leverage has fallen through." began Simmons.

The other man stood silently, looking at Simmons. Reese couldn't see the man's face as he was angled away from him. "You failed….."

That voice. It shocked Reese to his core. He froze. Sitting back on his heels, his heart began to pound. His breathing came in gasps. His hand, holding his gun, began to shake uncontrollably. That voice…..it immediately transported him back to Afghanistan.

Thoughts, images flashed through his mind's eye. That voice, his CO, giving a briefing for a ranger operation...parachuting into a Taliban stronghold to take a known cell leader, to be captured at all cost...someone raises concern about civilians since this is a family compound….again his CO's voice saying 'at all cost'...the cell leader is of utmost importance. second in command to Bin-Laden...take him and cripple a 3rd of the active Taliban and prevent another 9/11...the magic phrase...only women and children and a few fighters are in the family compound, they're told.

Images started coming to him fast and furious now….night drop outside town, herd of sheep become excited and start moving around noisily...lights come on in the houses near the corrals….voices shouting...Reese and his company spread out, no talking, communication by hand signals only as per their orders...in his ear, Reese hears his CO urging them on, directing them to a house in the middle of the town...keeping to the shadows, they move quietly through the town, staying out of sight as men start coming out of the houses heading toward the corrals just outside of town...the closer they get to their objective, the fewer men there are; all have been drawn to the commotion around the corrals...women and children are standing in doorways watching all the activity.

Approaching both sides of the main door, Reese and his second in command, Mack, stare at each other from each side of the doorway...they can hear voices, male, female and children...holding his hand up, Reese makes a fist...Mack nods...Reese starts counting with just his fingers...one finger, two fingers, three fingers and both of them push their way into the house...screams from the women and children almost drown out the voice of the one man standing in the middle of the main room.

The women and children crowd around the man, crying...the women make a shield with their bodies and the bodies of their children...the man is screaming at them in Arabic, cursing them, cursing the infidels...then their CO's voice comes over Reese's earpiece commanding him to get closer to the man for identification…."Get up close, I need to see this Mother Fucker with your cam for correct identification."

Reese tries to move closer but the women begin throwing themselves against him, screaming and beating on him with their fists….the children stay close to the man who was shouting instructions to the women and the children...the CO is almost screaming into Reese's earpiece to get closer...all the noise, the shouting, the confusion... Reese starts grabbing women and pulling them off of himself and moving forward...some of them he steps on, some he's forced to hit with the butt of his gun...all the while, the noise from gunshots and screaming and his CO shouting in his ear to get closer...he was making progress but the children were still in the way.

Outside gun shots could be heard getting louder….the men of the village were streaming back into the town after hearing the women's screams…all the while his CO in his ear…"Get closer for proper identification, soldier! That's a direct order! I said closer damn it!"...the ten men Reese left outside start taking out the villagers, one by one as they approach the house….women screaming, chaos, two of the soldiers scream out in pain as they take hits and go down...the firefight outside was heating up...his soldiers were having to engage more and more of the enemy…the intel was wrong, it's more than just women and children here..and the success of the mission was becoming unclear.

The children began to grab Reese's legs trying to pull him down, trying to impede his progress...one even grabs at his rifle and before he can stop himself, his instincts have him hitting the child with the butt of the rifle...Reese, stops, horrified at what he's just done but the CO is still screaming in his ear to look at the guy in the face….forget the filthy rag head kid...screaming at Reese over and over to get a clear view of the target's face...the screams of the women were now mixed with cries of pain from being hit with the rifles….from Mack hitting and shoving them out of the way...they HAVE to get to the target...Reese kicks out at a woman about to grab his sidearm...Mack has his back so he could concentrate on getting close to the man in the middle of this maelstrom.

The camera attached to Reese's helmet makes a noise as it tries to focus on the scene in front of him...literally tossing two children behind him, Reese finally gets close enough to look the man in the face...The CO's voice screams triumphantly in his ear, 'That's him! Identification complete. Take him out, now!'….Reese raises his rifle and fires point blank into the man's face….down he goes like a bag of bloody bones and a spray of pink brain matter...some of the children are pinned down by his dead body...others begin screaming….the women attack Reese with renewed vigor and their wails nearly drown out the CO's voice, "Kill 'em. Kill 'em all. We do not want to leave any witnesses. "...Reese pauses and looks around…..all he sees around him are screaming children under the age of ten and women with bloody faces and obviously broken bones...he shakes his head, trying to wake from the nightmare….is has to be a nightmare….he wouldn't…. "Repeat your orders, Sir." Reese rasps. "I said kill them ALL. No one left alive. Do it now or I'll have you and your men court-martialed for disobeying a direct order! Now do it!"...Reese looks around again and sees fear and hate in the eyes of the women and children..he backs up toward Mack….they both heard the kill order….turning off his mind, his training kicks in...he must follow orders...Reese nods to Mack and they open fire….laying down a lethal barrage, it takes less than five seconds to snuff out the life of everyone else in the room except the two of them..and then it's done.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Reese exhales….he hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath….opening his eyes once more he is confronted with what he and Mack had done… but he doesn't see the carnage in front of him, all he sees is that there is no one left alive….the target is neutralized and his orders have been fulfilled…..he turns and heads out the door, the bodies already forgotten.

* * *

Reese finally came back to the present. He could hear Finch's voice in his ear calling his name frantically. "Mr Reese! John! JOHN! Can you hear me?" Slowly Reese became aware of his surroundings. He was NOT in Afghanistan. He was NOT in that mountain village. His breathing was still labored but was slowly coming under control.

He had to get out of here. Had to get out of here right now! He couldn't find his voice to answer Finch. He'd left it there….back there in the past; he checked his surroundings and saw he was alone. Whoever had been here awhile ago, was long gone. Making his way out of the warehouse, Reese started walking. He wasn't sure where he was going he just knew he had to get away.

Walking the streets, incommunicado with his earpiece out and his battery taken out of his phone, Reese was lost for a couple of hours.

Meanwhile, there was no communication with Finch or Carter or Fusco. Carter & Fusco began their own search for John, abandoning the original plan. They knew something had happened but without talking to Reese, nobody knew WHAT. They had set out to end this nightmare once and for all but now they had nothing, nothing but the fear that something terrible had happened to Reese.

Hours later, after walking for miles around the city, Reese stopped at a familiar building. He stood in front of the library looking up. He saw lights on and knew that warmth and safety are inside. He slowly crossed the street and made his way inside. Finch's security cameras picked up his presence immediately. As the elevator door opened up, Reese was met by an extremely anxious and concerned Finch.

"John...are you alright? Is everything ok?" Harold asked quietly. Taking in John's disheveled appearance, Finch was very worried. He stayed where he was and let John come to him. Reese's normal confident demeanor was missing. There was a haunted look in his eyes, a droop to his shoulders and despair in his bowed head. Finch had never seen him like this, not even after he got the news about Jessica. Suddenly Finch's blood ran cold. Whatever was going on, it was horrendous. Reese wouldn't even make direct eye contact with him. With eyes downcast, Reese walked past Finch's desk, pausing long enough to lay his gun down. Staring at it for a moment, Reese slowly shook his head and walked away. Pausing again by a table, he fell into a chair, his body collapsing in on itself.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

The call from Harold came as a surprise. Elise was expecting John to call her. Her mind did the intuitive leap to the fact that it was not good that Harold was calling. Something was wrong or had happened to John.

Turning away from Grace, she walked out of the kitchen. "Hello? Harold? What's happened to John?" was all she allowed herself to ask. Meanwhile her heart was beating painfully against her ribs.

"Elise, I think you need to come back here. John's here with me, but something is not right."

Slowly exhaling, Elise closed her eyes trying to find relief in Harold's words that John was with him. "What do you mean, not right? Has he been injured?"

"No, no, he's physically ok. It's just...well, he hasn't spoken to me since he came back to the library. And that's been 2 hours ago."

"TWO HOURS? Why did you wait two hours before you called me?" cried Elise. The panic in her voice brought Grace to her side. Putting her arm around the younger woman, she held her tight. Elise turned the phone so Grace could hear Harold's answer.

"I'm sorry. I was trying to figure out what happened to John while also calming Joss and Lionel down. The boys and Grace are still ok?"

"They are fine; Grace is standing right here with me. Tell me about John...NOW" said Elise quietly, through clenched teeth.

"Something happened. I don't know what because he won't speak to me. As we'd discussed, I sent the call out that Lionel said would bring every HR cop. Lionel and Joss were at the station when I placed the call, so their alibis are safe. There was a pre-arranged place for all crooked HR cops to come to and Fusco told John where that was. We were going after the head of HR and he was going to be able to observe and take action without being seen. The plan was to watch Simmons. Because of the 'vague' nature of the threat, Simmons would have no clear direction to take. They wanted him to contact HIS boss who would probably be the head of HR."

"Go on Harold." Elise prompted. "Sounds like a good plan. What happened? Did you get the head guy?"

"No we did not. That's the problem. That's when I lost contact with him. He went 'dark', I think is what you both call it? At first I thought he was handling the problem he went there for. But after 30 minutes of no contact, I tried to check in with him but to no avail. Elise, I think John found out who is the head of HR. But something went wrong. He must have stayed hidden, let the moment pass. I received no word from him. He was missing for almost six hours. We had no idea where he was. Joss and Lionel went out looking for him. But you know John, if he didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be. But he finally showed up here. But something is wrong. Very very wrong."

Pausing for a moment to get himself under control, Harold glanced over at Reese. He was seated in a chair by a table in a dark corner of the room. He hadn't moved from there since he'd laid his gun on his desk and walked away from it. His elbows were on the table and his hands were clasped in front of him. He didn't respond when Harold called his name. His only movement was that of his hands. Every few minutes he'd unclasp them and stare at them. Then he'd rub them together, palm to palm, one hand over the other, then he'd clasp them together again. If he didn't know better, it was almost like Reese was trying to rub something off of his hands. Harold could just see John's eyes in the dark, that inward stare that had no end. Since John wouldn't speak to him, he went back to his computer and sat down, shaking his head. Surely there were camera feeds somewhere in that area to show what had happened to John. Working his way down the route that John must have taken, Harold accessed every camera…...ATM, traffic, business security cameras. It was tedious work with no results. Glancing over at John every so often, he felt John was slipping farther and farther away….. and what he saw frightened him. John had been back almost two hours and still had not said a word or responded to him in any way. That was long enough….he needed to talk to Grace.

"Harold? Harold? Are you still there?" Elise said with panic rising. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath to calm herself. She would be of no help if she was not in control of herself. Exhaling she spoke into the phone, "Harold, I'm coming back to the city. Grace and the boys are fine here. You put in the security here; you know how safe it is. NYPD and HR will never know about this place much less find it. I need to be there. John needs me to be there. We can't take care of HR with John in the state you are describing. I will be back at the library within two hours." Elise handed the phone to Grace, without waiting for Harold's answer.

Elise raced back upstairs and grabbed her black leather backpack and started stuffing clothes in it for both her and John. Walking into the closet, she found the black motorcycle jacket she wore when she and John had gone riding. She needed to get back to the city fast and the bike was the fastest way. Besides, she needed to leave the big car for Grace and the boys, if needed.

Quickly coming down the steps, she was putting on the jacket and carrying her backpack. The boys saw her and were immediately drawn to how Elise looked. She may have been a friend of their parents but they could appreciate a badass looking woman. They immediately laid down the pool cues and followed her into the kitchen.

Grace was still talking quietly to Harold on the phone. She looked up when she saw Elise come in. She held out the phone to Elise

.

"Yes, Harold?" was all Elise said. On the other end, Harold took a deep breath and said one word "Hurry".

Elise's blue eyes turned darker blue and she answered "I am and I will." and gave the phone back to Grace. Grace hugged Elise and kissed her on the cheek. "Stay safe and bring John back from wherever he has gone. "

The boys followed Elise out to the garage. They ran to catch up with her to help remove the tarp covering the bike. Seeing the key already in the ignition, Elise turned on the big bike. It came to life immediately. The throaty roar of the engine made Elise smile. John loved this bike and took very good care of it. The man certainly loved his speed toys. That thought caused her breath to catch in her throat.

Shaking her head to get herself focused, she put down the backpack and started snapping and zipping up the leather jacket. Pulling on the gloves she kept in the pockets she looked up to see both boys looking at her admiringly. Giving them a slight smile, she shrugged the backpack over her shoulders. Spying two helmets on the shelf Taylor grabbed the one he figured was hers. Black with light blue waves on it. Thanking him, Elise pulled on the helmet and tightened the strap.

"You boys stay close to the house and mind Grace. Your parent should be here by the weekend. So will Harold and John." Once again her voice almost broke when she said his name. 'Get a damn grip, Elise' she muttered to herself.

Throwing her leg over the bike she was barely able to set it upright on its two wheels. The bike was way too big for her but she could and she WOULD ride it. She had to get to NYC fast and this was going to be the best way. Throttling up the engine, the bike purred with power.

Nodding her head at Lee, he pushed the button to open the garage door. Letting loose the clutch, she guided the big bike out of the garage and down the driveway. In the rearview mirror she saw that Lee was already closing the garage door.

Turning out onto the highway, Elise throttled up and the powerful bike flew down the road. She was up to 100 mph before she'd gone even two miles. At this speed she'd be back in the city within an hour and a half.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

Staring at his hands, one hand clasped tightly by the other, all Reese could hear was the roaring in his ears. Shaking his head only made the roaring worse, with the sound of distant screams. His breathing became more ragged. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Closing his eyes only made it worse. The roaring faded away so that he could hear the screams more clearly.

Frowning, he clenched his eyes closed even tighter but the screams became deafening. He could hear women and children screaming...begging...begging him to stop. His hands were gripping each other so tightly that his knuckles were white. He could feel the cold grip of the Glock in his hand, feel the slight recoil every time he pulled the trigger. He felt the change when he switched to semi-automatic. He had to stop the screams and this would make them go away faster. The screams got fewer and fewer, to be replaced by the moaning of the dying. Bodies bumped against his legs as he emptied his clip.

Gasping out loud, he opened his eyes. Sounds of the dead and dying slowly faded away. Looking down at his hands he saw that they were covered in blood, the Glock was covered in blood, HE was covered in blood. He needed to clean his gun. He needed to get the blood off; it might cause the gun to misfire or jam. Panic was rising in him as realized there was nothing to use to wipe his gun off, everything was coated in bright red blood. He had to get it off! He had to!

He unclenched his hands and stared at his open palms. Blood dripped down his arms. He tried to rub it off but he just smeared it. Everywhere he rubbed, he spread more blood. Where was it all coming from? Some one would see...someone would see and know what he'd done. He frantically rubbed his hands, palm to palm, back to front, front to back.

Slowly he became self-aware. He looked at his hands. They were clean. They were not covered in blood. Clasping them together again, he tried to get himself under control. He was aware enough to know something was wrong.

Staring at his hands again, the roaring in his ears began again. Physically drawing into himself he tried to shut out the images in his mind. This time he was standing apart, watching himself. He watched himself walk into the hut with his buddy. The women and children once again put themselves between him and the man they were after. He knew the moment that the kill order came over the headset. Watched as he nodded to his buddy and they both started firing their weapons. The women threw themselves in front of the man they were after, taking shot after shot. As one woman would fall another scrambled up to take her place. The children were attacking their legs and grabbing at their arms to try and get their guns. Reese watched as he used the butt of his gun to knock the children away as he continued to fire his weapon. He felt like he was watching a robot. His own face was expressionless. The two of them were killing machines. He watched as the last child fell at his feet. Kicking himself free, he called to his buddy to check and make sure their target was dead. Once confirmed, they both turned and walked out, stepping over bodies of women and children to get to the door.

Once again Reese found himself rubbing his hands, trying to get the blood off that seemed to be everywhere. Then the roaring started again...

Elise called to Harold to turn off the alarm as she approached the library. She didn't want to stop for even a second longer than necessary on her way to John. Turning the big bike into the underground garage, the sound bounced off the walls. Parking the bike next to John's Porsche, Elised kicked the stand down. Balancing on her tiptoes, she let the big bike find its balance point and turned it off. Throwing her leg over the side she almost ran to the elevator.

The door was open and waiting for her. Stepping into the elevator she slammed the button to close the doors and hit the number 3 button. Closing her eyes she tried to calm herself down. From Harold's description, John did not need to see her in a panic mode. She unstrapped the helmet and took it off. Dropping it on the floor of the elevator she shook out her hair and ran her fingers through it. Taking a deep breath, she held it until the doors opened. Exhaling slowly, she relaxed her shoulders and walked to the main room.

Walking into the room, she saw Harold standing by his desk, a look of extreme concern on his face. Following his eyes, Elise searched for John. Finally spotting him in a dark corner sitting at table she gasped. That did NOT look like her John Reese sitting there. The bowed head, the hunched shoulders made him appear so much smaller than he actually was.

Hearing the gasp, Harold turned and saw Elise standing in the doorway. The look on her face mirrored his own. Quietly turning toward Elise, he met her halfway and gently held her arm.

"Let me fill you in before you approach him. He's very withdrawn and still has not spoken to me nor even looked at me. He's very….skittish. He jumps at any sound. He keeps making that washing or rubbing motion with his hands. It gets more pronounced from time to time and then he almost completely stops. He seems calmer when I don't move at all."

Watching John as Harold described the last couple of hours, Elise unbuttoned and unzipped the leather jacket. She took Harold's observations to heart and slowly slid the backpack off her shoulders. Even the sound of the zippers made him jump. Slipping the jacket off she put it on the desk next to the backpack. She studied Reese and his repetitive motions…...when they slowed down again she slowly made her way over to him as he sat in the corner..

Kneeling down in front of John, Elise ached to reach out and comfort him. He was obviously distraught. But she resisted the urge, feeling that the control he was maintaining was fragile. She barely recognized the man she's left just a day ago. His normal 'larger than life' bravura was missing. The confident way he'd always held himself, looking at life, good or bad, right in the eye was non-existent.

The constant, repetitive motion of his hands, the furtive way he kept looking around...classic PTSD. Closing her eyes, Elise thanked her instructors at HRT. Learning to recognize and deal with PTSD had been part of her training. Not only to help hostages deal with their imprisonment but also to recognize it in team members after a mission.

"John" she said softly, watching for a reaction to her voice, to her speaking his name, but she got nothing. John continued with the same hand motions and mumbling.

"John" she said a little louder. "John, it's me, Elise"...still nothing.

Standing up, she turned and walked back over to Harold. "What is it, Elise? What's wrong with him?" an obviously distressed Harold asked.

Her own world had shrunk to the size of this room, Elise reached out and grasped Harold's hands and attempted to comfort him.

"Harold, I think I recognize the symptoms of PTSD in John. Something triggered a memory that he has had buried VERY deep. So deep that he may not even remember it himself." Still holding Harold's hands, Elise turned so that they were both looking at John.

Squeezing Harold's hands, Elise continued, "I have a vague idea of what he's going through but I need to figure out the trigger that caused this. But I don't know of anything that he's told me, that would send him into such a tailspin." Turning back to Harold she asked, "I know you have files on John. Hell, you've got files on all of us. We have no secrets from you. I need to see your files on John. Now..."

Pulling his hands out of Elise's grasp, Harold stepped back. Letting anyone, ANYONE, know the depth of information he had access to was not something he was prepared to do. Even with as close as they had all come to each other, the only person he trusted with such access was himself. Everything was there...childhood, school records, teenage years, test scores, evaluations, observations, medical records, employment records, credit records, military records...the list was endless in the amount of information he had access to.

But looking over at John huddled in the corner, mumbling to himself...he knew he'd do anything to help him. John was too important to lose...too important to Elise, to Joss, to Lionel, to their 'cause' and most of all, too important to him. The man had saved his life countless times and it seemed it was now time to repay that favor.

Elise stood there watching him. She knew Harold had information she could use to help John. But she also knew that Harold had to be the one to give it to her. No amount of coercion would work with him when it came to his Machine. He was obviously at war with himself. The frown on his face told her it was not an easy battle. Watching him turn his eyes back to John, she knew his love for John had won out. He'd give her access to whatever she needed to help him.

Walking over to the table with the monitors, Harold sat down. Pausing with his hands over the keyboard he looked up at Elise. Understanding and compassion were evident on her face. He knew her almost as well as he knew John. She had helped save Grace, at great personal cost, she had helped him when Stanton had uploaded that virus, she knew her way around a computer so there was no fear of anything going wrong. Looking once more over at John and seeing a shell of the man he'd come to know, drove home the need to give Elise the access she needed to help John.

Typing in his password, he quickly accessed the files that were buried deep and heavily encrypted. Within moments information started flashing up on the multiple monitors. Pushing back his chair, he made way for Elise to sit.

Knowing the huge amount of data at her fingertips, Elise knew she needed to work smart. Time was of the essence. She felt that whatever had triggered this PTSD had to him come from his time in the military or CIA. Starting with 2001, his time with Jessica, she felt was the proper beginning. Reading about the type of soldier John was filled her with pride. He was a born hero, but a bit of a reckless one. He followed orders no matter how extreme. He was a soldier's soldier. His loyalty to his comrades in arms was a strong theme running through all of his fitness reports. He'd started out regular Army but quickly moved up to Rangers. The accolades were numerous.

John had always been vague when talking about jumping from the military to the CIA. That was a red flag right there, something she had always wondered about but had not gotten the chance to dig deeply into. Scanning files during that time period, she found the debriefing of John's last mission as a Ranger. Reading the brief gave her pause. The cold, precise nature of the events was written in stark black and white. This was definitely something John had never told her. The more she read, the more she understood why he never spoke of this. This was cold blooded murder of female civilians and children. Yes, she understood the importance of the man they were after but she was taken aback at how brutally it had been done. The commanding officer was commended and reprimanded at the same time. The tactics used were outside the normal boundaries that the US Army sanctioned.

There was no further information about John's time in the military. This must have been when he was 'drafted' by the CIA. Re-reading the report, she tried to see what would have caught the eye of the CIA. Was it ability to kill? No, there were many soldiers who had the same natural ability with guns and none of them had been chosen by the CIA. So what was it? What was it about John that made him worth the CIA's time and money? Then she figured it out. He followed orders. He followed orders with no questions asked. He didn't try to figure another way to handle his orders, to complete what he was sent to do. And it was very violent things he had been asked to do. THAT is what must have caught the eye of the CIA. John had told her that the CIA tried to wipe out his conscious, to make him do as he was told, when he was told and how he was told. That was what Kara Stanton had attempted to do...steal his soul.

Reading about his training in the CIA and his first and second mission seemed child's play after what he'd done on his last mission in the military. She kept coming back to that massacre in the Afghan house with the women and children. That HAD to be the trigger or something from that moment was the trigger. It was so out of the realm of the John she knew.

But what in that warehouse would have been a trigger for something that took place years ago in Afghanistan? She had already ruled out anything he saw, the only thing left was what he had HEARD. Backing up again she quickly reread the mission notes. Reese and his partner were guided by their CO who was back at HQ. He talked in live time with them, directing their every move using satellite imagery.

That had to be it! Sitting back in her chair suddenly, she banged her fist on the table. The sound caused Reese to jump and even pull closer into himself. She instantly felt terrible. This frightened, shrinking man was not HER John. But now she had the answer, the key to bringing him back.

Whispering "YES!' she leaned back towards the monitor looking for the name of his CO...Alphonso Quinn. That name sounded familiar to her but she couldn't place it. Turning to Harold she said, "I think I've found what brought all this down on John."

"What happened? What caused this horrible change in him?" asked Harold.

"Do you recognize the name Alphonso Quinn?" she asked.

"Maybe…...there is a man with the city government named Alonzo Quinn, not Alphonso Quinn. I do not believe he is an elected official, maybe an appointed one? But I'm not sure in what capacity."

"Interesting," murmured Elise. "You don't know for sure? You don't know what position he holds within the city? "

"No, I'm sorry I don't. I don't keep up with city politics much." answered a worried Harold.

"I don't either, but I know someone who does...Zoe." smiled Elise.

Elise made a quick call to Zoe. Her business tone of voice told Zoe it was not a social call. Elise explained the situation in a clipped, efficient manner with just enough detail to paint a convincing picture to Zoe. With just a question or two about Alonzo Quinn, Elise began nodding her head with the wealth of information that Zoe was able to provide.

While Elise was on the phone, Harold watched John. He became more and more worried. John had progressed from rubbing his hands together to rubbing them on his legs. He was obviously trying to rub something off and was becoming more and more agitated when he couldn't get it off, whatever 'it' was. Harold saw that John now had reddened, raw hands from all the rubbing.

Harold was truly worried. He knew just what John was physically capable of and he worried that if this escalated to that, he was concerned that Elise would not be able to handle him.

Elise hung up the phone and smiled. Zoe never ceased to amaze her with her knowledge of NYC and everybody in it. Glancing over at Harold, she was caught off guard by the look of actual fear on his face. Following his gaze she looked at John.

Reading his body language, Elise felt he was about to reach a crisis point. He was obviously more into his PTSD episode now than he was when she came in a couple of hours ago. They needed to get this under control as soon as possible.

Walking over to Harold, she put her hand into the crook of his elbow and pulled him away from John and back over to the array of computer monitors. Sitting him down, she crouched in front of him.

Holding onto his hands, she looked him, unflinchingly, in the eye. "Harold, I've got a very good idea what has happened to John. Zoe was able to identify Alonzo Quinn for me. He is a mid-level political appointee who works with the city government. More like a behind the scenes type person. Seldom if ever is he mentioned or seen on TV. And that last part is going to be a problem for us." She said with a frown as she looked past Harold to where John was sitting with his head in his hands.

Looking back at Harold, Elise squeezed his hands. "Zoe told me that Alonzo Quinn has a military background. Not a lot is known about him but he seems to be involved in almost every aspect of NYC government. He is the muscle to all the pretty boy politicians. He helps make policy and pushes certain agendas. Politicians pretend to get stuff done but really, it's behind the scenes guys like Quinn who do the heavy lifting. I suspect that Alphonso Quinn and Alonzo Quinn may very well be one in the same."

Biting her lip, Elise's mind began to race. She had to get John BACK into the present, BACK into NYC. She knew that PTSD took the person to another time, another place where the trauma occurred. One of the prevailing treatments for PTSD was exposure to the trauma, in the hopes of desensitizing the individual. To help them tell the difference from the here and now from then and there. If it was Quinn's voice that had triggered John's PTSD, then she needed to have recordings of his voice for John to hear.

"Harold, I need you to go through some of the city's archived video footage and radio interviews and try to locate any blurb done by Quinn. I need it for John to listen to."

Harold listened intently to what Elise was saying. It seemed to make sense. He was familiar with PTSD. He'd experienced it when they rescued him when Root had kidnapped him. John had placed pictures of Root for him to find, left things up on the computer that had to do with Root's disappearance as a child thereby desensitizing him to her. Looking back at Elise he smiled for the first time that day. Finally! Something HE could do to help John!

Returning the squeeze to Elise's hands, he smiled slightly and let go. Turning toward his keyboard he began to type.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

Turning back toward John, Elise felt her heart lurch. John's head was bowed. His movements were becoming more frantic. Rubbing his hands together, holding them out, palms up, then he would shake his head, and go back to rubbing his hands against his legs. Whatever he was 'seeing' it was not rubbing off.

The only thing that came to mind was blood. Using logic, the memory that John was reliving over and over had to be about his time in the military and likely about that last mission when he was a Ranger. From the debriefing she had read, it had to be the blood of those women and children. Knowing how John felt about children, she felt that this had to be the 'tipping point' both causing him to leave the Army for CIA and now, as he was obviously reliving what had to be some terrible memories .

Walking back over to him, she stopped about two feet in front of him. She stood absolutely still, waiting for him to notice her. Her hands ached to soothe the haunted look on his face; her arms longed to hold him and comfort him. But she knew from her time as a member of the HRT, touching him at this time would be the worse thing she could do. It would shatter what little control he had right now, throwing him further back into the past.

John's gaze swept past Elise's feet but didn't remain there. Eyes sweeping back and forth, looking at the floor, John was fully in the moment. He could hear the screams and moaning from the dead & dying. Visions of women and children covered in blood, filled his mind until they took over his head, leaving no room for anything else. He had to get away. Had to put this behind him. He needed water to clean up. He needed to wash off the blood and maybe, if he did it thoroughly enough, maybe he could wash away the guilt. Meanwhile, back and forth his eyes darted, never really seeing anything.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, John's eyes focused back on Elise's feet. He stopped all movement and stared. Elise's feet were snug in her black motorcycle boots. She stood very still and let him take in the details of HER. That she was there and was not threatening. Keeping his head down he slowly took her in. Black boots, tucked in black jeans. Deep blue sweater hugging her hips. The color was pleasing to him. He felt a little more relaxed. He began to rub his hands on his thighs but never took his eyes off of Elise, but still there was no sign of recognition.

Studying him while standing absolutely still, Elise felt all the love she had for this man, come to the surface, sharp and painful. He meant so much to her. He'd become her life. And she felt she had come to mean that much to him. He was her strength, her reason for living. She had never felt a love so deeply as the one she had with John. She felt his despair to her core. Every emotion he was reliving and fighting were her battles too. He'd been there for her and now she needed him to know she was there for him. They were two halves of the same whole. No longer single, solitary, lonely people. They had each other in a way few could understand. They'd already been through hell together and made it back. This was a newer, darker hell that she was fighting to bring him back from. While they may never have made any formal vows to each other, Elise had promised herself that she would do ANYthing for this man. ANYTHING. And she knew, deep down to her soul, that he would do the same for her.

Eventually. she was able to notice that his breathing had become less labored and his agitated hand movements had slowed, almost to a stop. Willing him to acknowledge her, she stood her ground and waited. Slowly his eyes slid up, taking in the black boots, black jeans, blue sweater ...until he made it to her face. At first he quickly looked away, but finally his desire to see her won out and he looked back at her, deep blue eyes to deep blue eyes. Recognition slowly appeared in his eyes.

"Elise" he whispered as he licked dry lips and spoke brokenly.

Squatting down on her knees, Elise kept her distance and answered slowly, "Yes John." Watching for clues as to how his mental state was. The fact that he called her by name instead of not recognizing her was hopeful.

She watched him as he took everything in. He studied her hair, her face, her eyes, her mouth, her hands, her clothes. He seemed particularly keen on the blue sweater.

"John, do you know where you are?" Elise asked, thinking it was time to take the next step.

Looking around, seeing the library, with its shelves of books, the table with all the computer monitors on it, Finch typing away on the keyboard. He knew. He knew where he was and that he was safe.

"Yes." he said softly, as he looked back at Elise.

Taking comfort from his response, Elise slowly stepped closer to the table and sat down across from him. Moving carefully, she placed both hands on the table, palms up, allowing John to see she was hiding nothing. At this point, she was simply giving options, trying to show him reality not his PTSD illusion. She watched his eyes as he looked down at her hands. Seeing the slight relaxing of tension in his shoulders, she was encouraged. Slowly she turned her hands face down, flat against the table. Again, watching him take in every movement. She knew he was watching her, listening to her as she breathed, just like she was watching and listening to him. Even though her heart felt like it was going to burst from her chest, she fought to keep her breathing calm and measured. She was rewarded when she could tell he had subconsciously matched her breathing rhythm.

John's hands rested on the table, his fists clenched, still showing the tension and stress he was under. But at least the repetitive motions of trying to wipe off his hands had stopped. Since dropping his eyes to look at her hands, he had not looked back up. She needed to see his face, needed to see that he recognized her, that he was continuing listening to her.

Biting her lip, Elise slowly moved her hands, palm down, toward John's. When she got within an inch, he suddenly pulled his hands back toward his body. They still rested on the table but they were balled up in fists out of her immediate reach.

Elise left her hands extended and tried to out-wait him. She knew he was evaluating the threat level she presented. He still had one foot standing in the past. It felt like she was back at square one and they were running out of time. She needed all of him HERE and NOW.

Looking at his hands she was reminded how different the John she knew, intimately, and the John the world saw were. With her, his hands were strong and sensitive and gentle and beautiful, evoking responses from her she never knew she was capable of. But they were also the hands of a trained killer. They handled weapons with ease and she knew he had killed many people with his bare hands.

After what felt like hours, Elise leaned in on the table and stretched until each of her hands covered one of John's. Just letting her hands rest lightly on each fist. She willed him to look at her but he wouldn't raise his head or his eyes. Gently she began to massage his hands, trying to get him to relax his hands, to release their grip. Slowly John's hands relaxed enough that Elise smoothly pushed her fingers into his hands. Carefully she grasped his fingers and held them tight. The fact that he let her touch him, let her hold his hand, was a major step. Using her thumb she began rubbing slightly across his fingers on both hands and was rewarded with a firm grasp of each hand.

Leaning in slightly, Elise quietly called his name, "John...John, I'm here, John. I'm here for you."

As she uttered his name, John's eyes locked onto hers. He focused on her. His eyes never leaving hers. Giving him a slight smile, she waited for him to come back to her completely. Slowly, recognition bloomed in his eyes. He was really looking at her. Suddenly his hands gripped hers tightly, tightly enough to made her gasp.

Startled by her exclamation, John let go of her hands and sat back in his chair. A wildness had returned to his eyes. Elise took a chance and leaned all the way across the table and held her hands out to John, never taking her eyes off his.

Glancing down at her hands, John slowly shook his head, like someone waking up from a bad dream. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back and took a deep breath. Holding it, he brought his head back down and opened his eyes. Clear recognition showed under the slight frown on his face. Glancing down again, he extended his hands until he was once again holding Elise's hands. Being more careful this time held them lightly but firmly.

Suddenly the look in his eyes changed. She felt like he couldn't see her anymore. Worried that he had slipped back in the past, she squeezed his hands and called to him.

Clenching his eyes closed he slowly dropped his head till it was resting on their clasped hands. Despair radiated from him in waves.

But at least he was still holding tight to her hands. He was not pulling away.

His bowed head and hunched shoulders spoke volumes to Elise. He was here, he was in the now but guilt and shame had taken over.

"Tell me what happened John. Tell me. I am here, I am with you. I will not leave you. I will never leave you….." Elise whispered.

Reliving every moment again, but with Elise holding tight to his hands, gave him the strength to face the past. She was there. She was real. She said she'd never leave him…..that was enough.

Grasping Elise's hands tightly, John began telling her about that final, fateful mission through clenched teeth. Speaking barely above a whisper, he recounted everything from the moment he and his men closed in on the dirty little town in the mountains of Afghanistan. He was unwilling or unable to look her in the eye. Keeping his eyes on their clasped hands, he used that as the focal point as he told his story.

Elise could feel his shame, his guilt and anguish with every word he whispered. She could only imagine what the pain of remembering must be like for someone like John. Especially because it involved women and children…KILLING women and children. It was no wonder that his obsession with protecting them at all cost was the driving force in the man he was today.

Watching his face reliving that moment in time, Elise felt the horror of what John's mind retreated from. It was no wonder he had completely blocked this from his mind, his memory. She knew the PTSD was causing him to relive the moment in detail. That he was 'seeing' it and 'feeling' it and most of all 'hearing' it.

When the memory became overpowering….almost consuming him, John tried to pull his hands out of Elise's grasp. He quit speaking. His breathing became labored again. Elise used every bit of her strength to hold onto his hands. She needed to keep him in the here and now. She wanted to be his anchor and not let him be drawn back into that shadow world of his mind.

She gently called his name, "John….." a moment passed and she called to him again "John"…..still no response, no reaction. He was lost in his own personal hell.

Elise held John's hands tight, as if his or her life depended on it. And it did. If she lost John into the dark recesses of his mind, she too would be lost. She was actually fighting an unseen foe, right there with him; she was fighting for the both of them.

She continued to call his name softly. Calling him to her. Watching his face, with that inward stare, was becoming physically painful. Her heart literally ached with every beat. Trying to keep herself calm, so that John would not sense her fear for him, was becoming more and more difficult the longer he stayed quiet.

Knowing she should be able to hold her own against him IF he became violent gave her a small degree of comfort. However, an angry, out of control John Reese was not something she wanted to witness, much less have directed at her.

The screams in his ears were loud. Making him cringe with the hysteria he could hear in them. He could feel the bodies bumping into him, falling against his legs. He felt the recoil of the gun in his hand but he also felt something else. Instead of the cold metal of the grip, he felt warmth…..human warmth. Against the freezing cold of the world he was in, the warmth in his hands drew him. Pulled him away from edge….

Slowly the screams became quieter. In the background he could hear another voice…..speaking, not screaming. He strained to hear what was being said. Even before he could understand what he was hearing, he drew strength from it. He wanted to hear, he NEEDED to hear what was being said. He leaned in, pulling his hands toward him and realized the warmth he was feeling in his hands was actually a pair of hands, a pair of woman's hands.

Tilting his head slightly, he questioned his actions. Why was he gripping these hands so tightly? The warmth seeped out of the woman's hands and warmed him.

Raising his eyes, he looked at the woman across from him. She looked familiar. He frowned. Looking into deep blue eyes stirred something within him. He knew her. He knew her…...she was Elise ….he loved her. The darkness within faded.

Elise glanced at Harold and he turned off the audio and video that had been playing over and over during the whole time John confessed to Elise the horror he had lived through. It was no longer needed. That demon had been acknowledged and then killed. John Reese was himself once more.

Elise leaned over and kissed John's hands that were holding hers so tight. A slight smile played around her lips and was matched by John. It was such a relief to see her John looking at her. He'd left his past behind him, at least for now.

"Harold, can you hold down the fort for awhile? I think John needs some time to um, clean up. Mind if we use the shower?" Elise asked without taking her eyes off of John.

"Certainly you may. It's always available for emergencies, as you well know." replied Harold. Never looking up from his monitors, he missed the exchange of looks between John and Elise.

"Go ahead, I'll be there shortly" said Elise, releasing John's hand as she stood up. Stepping up to her John looked down. Taking both hands he cradled her face, looking intently into her deep blue eyes. Whispering 'thank you' he brushed her lips with a light kiss and turned away.

Watching him leave the room, Elise fell bonelessly back into her chair and bowed her head. From the moment she had walked into the library and seen John, she had wanted to wrap him up in her arms and take him away. She'd been controlling herself by sheer willpower. But instinctively she had done the right thing, the right way. Shaking her head side to side she silently thanked all of her instructors in the HRT and the work she had seen done at the VA hospitals. Her own shoulders and neck hurt from the tension she'd been under but had hidden from John.

Looking over at Harold she saw he was still engrossed in whatever he was doing on the computer. Standing up once again, Elise walked over behind Harold and looked over his shoulder. Her gasp alerted Harold to her presence behind him. Sitting up straight he waited for Elise to speak.

"Harold! Is all of that about Alphonso Quinn?"

"Yes, it is. There is a lot of information out there if you just know HOW and WHERE to look. I think I can build a case to legally put Quinn away for a very long time. However, Simmons is another matter."

"That's wonderful Harold. You should get Joss and Lionel up to date with your findings. But first check in with Grace and make sure everything is good at my beach house" Patting him on the shoulder she turned to follow John.

Hurrying down the hall, Elise was anxious to get to John. He still seemed 'fragile' to her. A little unsteady on his feet. Approaching the bathroom she was surprised she didn't hear the shower running. Pushing the door open slightly, she peered into the bathroom. John was standing at the counter where the sinks were. Leaning against it, his hands holding him up with his head bowed, he still had the look of a defeated man.

Quietly slipping into the bathroom, Elise shut the door gently behind her. John did not react like he'd even heard her. He still had on his heavy black coat he'd been wearing since he arrived back at the library. Stepping around so she could see his face, she realized his eyes were closed. She could see a slight frown on his face. As she stood there watching, she was able to tell he was shaking his head, ever so slightly, from side to side. It was obvious that he was not completely out of the woods yet.

Biting her bottom lip, Elise made a noise to get him to notice she was there. She walked by him to the glass-walled shower. Opening the door she turned on the hot water. She shut the door and turned to look at him. He'd finally reacted when he heard the water turn on. He glanced at Elise and caught her eye. She was alert to the pain she still saw in his eyes.

"John, what is it?" she asked softly as she walked toward him. She knew she needed to still handle him with kid-gloves. His control was still new and fresh and could easily break. Approaching him slowly, she closed the distance and looked for clues to see where his mind was. Stopping when she was within arms reach, she said his name one more time, "John?"

Closing his eyes once again, Reese took a deep breath and held it. Shaking his head again, he slowly breathed out "I failed her, I failed them..."

Standing next to him, but not touching him, Elise puzzled over what he was talking about. She'd thought they'd uncovered the last part of his past and freed him. She was at a loss to be able to understand what he was upset about.

"Failed who, John? Failed about what?"

John to a deep breath and held it. Balling up both of his hands into fist, he pounded the bathroom counter and said through clenched teeth, "I promised Joss...and Lionel, that I'd protect their kids. I promised to take care of whoever was threatening them, once and for all...but I didn't. I failed. I walked away and left them waiting for my signal to take down the head guy." Almost every word was punctuated by slamming fist down onto the counter.

Standing absolutely still, Elise fought the urge to immediately comfort him. Anger was just another step to dealing with his PTSD. No matter what she had done or could do, he was going to have to go through every single step to come out on the other side. He'd gone through the detachment, the shame and the guilt. Anger was the next logical step and an angry John Reese was a very dangerous thing indeed. Even more so when the anger was directed at himself.

Elise's mind raced to figure out just why he felt he'd failed. What more could he have done in the almost catatonic state he had been in when she first saw him in the library. What was she not seeing? They had Quinn and HR between the cross hairs and were just about to take them down legally and put them away for along time.

Then it dawned her. She knew what part he was missing. Taking her own deep breath, she slowly breathed out, trying to figure out the best way to explain to John that he had NOT failed.

Stepping to his side, she turned and leaned against the counter without touching him. With her back to the mirror, she was able to look almost directly at his face. In his eyes were the twin emotions, the shame of not getting the job done and the guilt for not making it safe for Joss and Lionel's kids, fought for supremacy. He was holding on for dear life. He breathing had become more ragged.

Looking at John, Elise laid her hand on his sleeve, pulling his attention to her. She could feel the tenseness in his arm, as his muscles were stretched tight. Calling his name quietly, "John", she willed him to look at her. "John, look at me."

John heard her voice through the fog in his mind. Turning his eyes toward her he was met with deep blue eyes, full of love...eyes that were meant specifically for him.

"You DID keep your promise, John. Just not in the way you are use to. Not with a gun, not with your hands but with your mind." Elise paused to watch for his reaction. She needed him to HEAR her.

The puzzled look on his face was exactly what she was looking for.

"You found the head of HR." holding her hand up to stop John's protest. "Hear me out John. Do you remember what happened when you caught up with Simmons when he met his boss?" He nodded at her. "You gave enough info to take him down. You made a connection no one else could have made."

Elise closely watched John's face. That inward stare said a lot. She knew that beloved face well enough to almost know what he was thinking.

"I remember following Simmons into a part of NYC I've never been in. Very few people, very little light. Dark. Commercial area maybe?" Pausing to once again pull back vague memories. The fact that they were vague concerned him. He'd always prided himself on having an almost photographic memory, a talent that had saved his life more than once. But this time, he felt like he was viewing a movie through a dirty, out of focus camera lens.

"Simmons was alone and seemed comfortable walking through the building. Like it was a place he'd been to quite often. He knew exactly where he was going. I could hear his footsteps. Then I heard him greet somebody. I knew this had to be the leader of HR..."

A flash of panic showed on John's face. Elise knew he'd come to that moment that had triggered his PTSD.

John's breathing became ragged once again, his hands grabbed the edge of the bathroom counter, anchoring him in the here and now.

"Why can't I remember what happened next?" Upset over his perceived failure to do what he'd promised Joss and Lionel was now compounded by his inability to remember what happened in that building.

"I know what happened, John. I need you to listen to me and not jump to conclusions. Because you succeeded in bringing down HR with your mind...with your memories..."

"Does the name Alonzo Quinn mean anything to you?" asked Elise.

"Don't think so. I'm not sure. The name is vaguely familiar to me. Why? What does he have to do with HR & Simmons?" John asked, looking more lost than ever.

"Everything..." Elise answered.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

"Let's get you in the shower while I explain." said Elise as she pushed away from the counter. Stepping behind John she reached up on tiptoes and started pulling off his black outer coat, without much success. John finally became aware of what she was trying to do and shrugged out of it. She then carried the heavy coat over to the armoire. Damn thing must weigh 20 lbs! Hanging it up, she turned to find John still with a puzzled look on his face while he slowly removed his suit jacket. Taking the jacket from him she hung it up also, smiling to herself about the effect John was having on her. In the past she would have probably have let the clothes drop where they were. But John, with his military background, was an unbelievable neat freak. He was definitely rubbing off on her.

Walking back to John she gently moved his hands to the side and took over unbuttoning his shirt down the front. Peeling the shirt off of him, she continued the explanation of what had transpired.

"I'm guessing you've figured out you had a PTSD event. From what Harold told me, you were just about to make yourself known to Simmons and his boss...right up until you must have heard his boss's voice. That was the trigger. You shut down completely." Removing John's undershirt, Elise paused for a moment and gently ran her hand over the recently healed wound from where Stanton had shot him. It look raw and tender but everything still seemed to be intact. Meg Tillman did good work.

Looking up at John, she realized he was watching her closely as she checked the wound. His normally blue eyes were a steel gray. He was still confused and leery of what she was telling him, especially because he couldn't remember it.

Wadding up the t-shirt, she tossed it into the hamper. Walking back over to finish helping him get undressed, she was caught off guard when John grabbed her, gently, by both arms forcing her to look at him. "Why don't I remember? What did I hear?" John asked quietly.

Keeping her voice calm and low Elise replied, "It was more WHO's voice you heard. I need you to think. You heard Simmons and his boss talking and you just 'checked out'. Completely. You went dark. Harold couldn't reach you, Joss couldn't reach you, and neither could Lionel." Elise felt like she was willing him to remember on his own. He had to find his way by himself.

Suddenly John's head snapped up. The look on his face was deadly. Cold and deadly. Elise knew he'd made the connection.

"Alphonso Quinn is the same person as Alonzo Quinn." John stated it as a fact, not asked as a question.

"Alonzo Quinn was my CO in Afghanistan." Closing his eyes, John took a deep breath and held it. Shaking his head side to side, he came face to face with his past.

"Yes. He went AWOL after your last mission. He was being brought up on charges for his war crimes but he disappeared. About five years later he appeared back in the US but with a slightly different name and a new past. Harold was able to piece together everything and has already sent the information to Joss and Lionel. Quinn's going down John. The information Harold gave them is air tight. That will leave HR leaderless. Simmons is a follower, not a leader. They will get him in time too . The boys are safe. Your MEMORIES made them safe, John. You kept your promise to Joss and Lionel. Quinn is going to be tried at a tribunal. The boys are safe.

"Come on, John. Get in shower at wash the past off of yourself once and for all."

Walking to the shower door, Elise could see the steam filling the shower stall. Opening the door, the moisture flowed out, bringing a healing warmth. Turning back to John she smiled. He was standing right behind her, with a bemused expression on his face. He was bare chested but still had on his pants.

Facing him, Elise looked up at him through her eyelashes with a slight smile on her face. Reaching out with both hands, she let them rest lightly on his belt. Slowly she unbuckled it. John's hands came up and he unbuttoned his pants. Elise moved his hands to the side and unzipped his pants herself. Slowly sliding the zipper down, she could feel him stirring. Her smile became wider. Raising her head she looked him fully in the face. His matching smile warmed her heart...and other parts.

Keeping her eyes locked with his, she slowly peeled his pants away from his hips and down his legs. As was his want, he was commando, which always excited her. His aroused state showed he was very aware of how close her hands were to him, how much he craved her touch. Pushing his pants down the rest of the way, Elise motioned for him to step into the shower. John stepped out of his pants and walked past her into the stall. Turning back toward her, he extended his hand to her.

"I wasn't planning on taking a shower right now, John." Elise murmured. John tilted his head to one side and left his hand extended to her.

The look on his face melted any further protests she had. Quickly divesting herself of her own clothes, she reached for his hand and stepped through the shower door, closing it behind her.

Drawing her close to himself, John moved them both under the hot water. Standing there, holding each other with their eyes closed, they both reveled in the privacy of the moment. There was only them, this was completely their own moment in time. As the warmth of the water seeped into their muscles they both began to relax. John felt the tension ease out of his back, in his neck and even his arms and legs. From the moment he'd heard 'that voice' in the warehouse, he'd felt like he was as tight as a bow string. Fear and loathing had been fighting a war within his body. With his mind free, his body gave into the relaxing heat of the shower and the feel of this woman in his arms. Elise was experiencing a similar feeling. The frantic call from Harold had set everything in motion. She had been like a coiled spring, waiting to attack something, anything...as long as it would help John.

Opening her eyes, Elise looked up at John. Watching the water cascading down his face, she could tell the shower was having the desired effect. Looking around him she saw the shower stool and gently pushed him back toward it. His eyes flew open and he looked at her, startled.

"Have a seat John; you're here for a reason. I want you to wash your past off of your body and out of your mind forever." She waited til he was seated and then continued. "There is no guilt over what you have done. You were under orders and being the good soldier you have always been, you followed orders. It is over. It is done. You can not change it. It is part of what makes you...you. You are a good man John. You always have been. You have a moral core that nothing can touch. No matter how the military, Alphonso Quinn, the CIA or Kara Stanton tried to wipe that part of you out, they never did. They never touched your soul. And it was your soul that saved your life back then and saved your life tonight. Do you understand?" Elise had started out speaking quietly but ended up rather forcibly and loud.

"I don't know" John said softly. "I could have said no. I could have gone against orders that I knew were over the line. I could have maybe tried to find another way that didn't involve killing women…..and children" John's voice trailed off. "I must have known how wrong it was for me to have completely forgotten about the incident."

"John, don't second guess yourself about something that already happened…..something that you can not change. Don't go down that road. Because of the man you ARE, you buried this deep. It did go against everything you felt and believed in. But you were a soldier, a soldier AT war, a soldier IN a war. Survival makes you do strange things. From the report that I've read, you survived that mission because you DID take out the objective."

"You know, when I left Jessica, it was because I didn't want her hurt by the kind of life I was living. I didn't want her to open her front door one day and find a soldier there telling her I had been killed. I wanted more for her. I wanted a normal life for her. But I also left her for a selfish reason. I was holding on too tight. I knew, that when it came down to it, I would not do what I had to do because of her. What she would think of me, what she would see in me, what I would be missing with her... I wanted….no I needed to be completely focused so I could be the soldier I wanted to be…..the soldier I needed to be. I think...maybe... that is what allowed me to step over that line when I was ordered to. Maybe if I had kept her 'with me' I wouldn't have followed that order to kill…...everybody." John ended in whisper. "And maybe she wouldn't be dead."

Elise continued massaging his shoulders and neck while he talked. She knew he needed to walk himself through this. She had opened the door but he had to be the one to walk through it. Trying to ease the tension in his neck was difficult but as he talked she could feel him relaxing underneath her fingers.

He became quiet so long she leaned around to see his face. His head was bowed, his eyes were closed. She knew him well enough not to interrupt his internal conversation. She had done all she could with words. It was now up to him. There would always be some darkness in his past that could never be erased, but facing it made him stronger.

His mind was finally free of all of its recent shadows and secrets. Elise had help pull the veil away and helped him face some of the worst moments of his past. She stood beside him and relived every moment right with him. She accepted what he had done and was still by his side. He needed her now more than ever to make him believe in himself again.

Stepping close to John, Elise looked down into his blue eyes, and was overjoyed to see HER John looking back. Cupping his face with her hands, she leaned over and gently kissed him. Pulling back, she looked at him once again and let him see all the love she had to give him. The intensity of her gaze took his breath away. How had he been lucky enough to find this woman? Who loved him no matter what he'd done in his past. She accepted him and loved him. He had no words. There were no words to express how much he loved her.

Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her close and rested his head against her breast. He could hear her strong heart beat, he felt the satin smoothness of her skin, the ripple of muscles holding him tight. He felt like he was holding on for dear life... like he was drowning in his emotions, the feelings that were coming over him. He held her even tighter and let it all roll over him and through him.

Elise held his head close to her chest, bowed her own head over his. Her strong, invincible John Reese was in her arms once more. He was hers, body, mind and soul. He had needed her and she had been there for him. Her love for him grew even deeper if that were possible. Her damaged warrior was damaged no more.

Finally John raised his head and looked at her. Blue eyes met blue eyes. No walls, no secrets separated them. He needed her closer. He needed to be one with her. He needed to be inside her...connected.

He reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear. Her knees immediately felt weak. A small smile on his face let her know that he was aware of the effect that one small action had on her.

Carefully moving his knees between hers, till she was straddling him, he kept his eyes locked with hers. Reaching around he pulled her right leg up so she was resting on his left thigh, then reached around for her left leg. With her weight off her feet, he held her firmly and slowly lowered her down on to his achingly hard cock .

Throwing her head back Elise gave into the sensation of fullness. He filled her up, stretched her in all the right places. Locking her hands around his neck, she leaned back, offering her breasts to him. With his eyes wide open, he gently sucked her nipple into his mouth. Rolling its hyper-sensitive point round with his tongue, he suckled. Watching her reaction to the things he did to her body was one of the things he loved the most. She was always uninhibited and would get completely lost in the sensations he was causing.

Holding her close to him, he used his right hand to cup her other breast. Feeling the it already erect and waiting for his attention added to his own pleasure. Using his thumb and forefinger he rolled her nipple around and gently tugged on it. He increased the suction of his mouth at the same time he tugged a little harder with his hand. Her response was immediate. A low moan escaped her parted lips and she pushed her breasts harder against his mouth and his hand.

Suddenly he felt her inner muscles clench and hold him tightly inside her. He began a rhythm that she matched immediately. Every time he pulled or sucked her nipples she would tighten around his cock. He switched his mouth to her other breast. Her nipple was already begging to be sucked, again she pushed herself closer to his mouth. Again he suckled harder and she clenched him harder. The faster he sucked the faster she clenched, her moans of pleasure continuing to increase.

They reached the moment of no return. Throwing his own head back, John was able to gasp out "Elise..." taking both hands he lifted her slightly off himself and then set her back down. That motion had an immediate effect on her. She wrapped both legs around him and locked her ankles. She looked down and met his eyes. Both were breathing hard, blue eyes darkened by passion.

Elise cupped her hands around his face once more and attacked his mouth with her own. She demanded entrance and took control. She pulled his tongue into her mouth and sucked. His tongue followed the same motion as his cock . In and out, in and out.

Suddenly, she pulled her mouth away, threw her head back and sighed 'John...' Her body went rigid. Her breath was ragged. John quickly pulled one of her nipples back into his mouth and sucked hard. The tug on her breast sent Elise over the edge. Her body clamped down on his length and began to spasm, clenching and unclenching. He erupted with a force he had never experienced before. He held her down on his cock and clamped down harder on her nipple and crossed over the same edge she had.

John held Elise, burying his head in the crook of her neck. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head atop his, both gasping for breath as their heart rates slowed. They held each other tightly, letting the moment and the day slowly drain away. The warm shower flowed over them, washing away the horror and fear that had gripped them both just a short time ago.

Pulling back slightly Elise once again cupped John's face. His eyes were closed, not trusting himself to look at her. Elise called to him "John…..John…...look at me. Look at me please." she whispered.

Slowly shaking his head side to side, he kept his eyes closed.

"John….please…"

Elise's soft plea finally got through to him. Keeping his head down, he slowly opened his eyes. She reached under his chin and made him look at her.

A slow, loving smile appeared on Elise's face. For the first time since she had known him, there were no shadows in John's eyes. Instead, there was an easiness, a decided sense of clarity they now held. Something that had been crushing him, slowly and silently was now gone. Elise knew he was not totally out of the woods, that the memories might surface again at any time, but now he would face them head on and she would be right there with him. He could now begin to forgive himself. He could now be the man he used to be…..the man he was MEANT to be.

Never taking his eyes off of her, he stood up slowly. Leaning down he gently kissed her, savoring the moment of completeness. This tiny woman, with her fiery temper and emotional passion was his world. All he would ever need. Leaning over he picked her up and opened the shower door. Carrying her into the bedroom he laid her down. Carefully climbing over her, his eyes devoured her. Everything within in him called out to her.

Elise's eyes turned deep blue with the emotions bubbling up inside of her. Reaching up she pulled him down. Drowning in the blueness of his eyes she gave herself over to him completely body, mind and soul. Her mouth sought his and the kissed, slowly, lovingly for a long time, each trying to put all their love into the kiss.

Breathing heavily they broke apart…..lying side by side, shoulder to shoulder with hands clasped. John looked over at Elise and smiled to himself. Elise was lying there with her mouth half opened, eyes closed, breathing deeply. The completeness he felt was new. There were no hidden, dark areas he was afraid to look too closely into. The lightness he felt was filled with warmth and comfort and all because of her. Pulling her close he buried his hands in her long hair and whispered in her ear "I love you Elise Tate."

Peace settled over both of them as they truly relaxed for the first time since that phone call barely a week ago. So much had changed now.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

As John and Elise walked down the hall away from him, Harold was collecting the final pieces of information on Alonzo Quinn to send to detective Carter. He felt there was enough hard data to take him down AND put him away for a long time. He was a difficult man to find since he'd been careful to stand in the shadow of others. Just like a puppet master though, he was constantly pulling the strings of whomever would advance his agenda. So his presence with certain individuals in law enforcement and the mayor's office was very telling. Starting tomorrow morning, there were going to be more than a few vacancies in high places.

He knew Joss would need to get a warrant for Quinn's arrest but there were quite a few judges that Quinn seemed 'connected' to but he was more than pleased to find out that Judge Samuel Gates was not one of them. John had saved his son when they had first started working together. Judge Gates had become a behind the scene supporter when legal help was needed. Making a phone call to the judge's private number, Finch set things in motion for Joss to go after the warrant.

Hanging up the phone Harold called Joss. Once he and Elise had put the "picture" together and knew who the head of HR was, he had called Joss to explain what they had found out. Telling her he was getting the information together to send, he'd asked her to wait for a call from Grace instead of calling their sons. He felt the need to verify the scope of HR and its many tentacles before giving the all clear. The safety of the boys...and Grace was paramount.

"Harold! We just heard from our boys. Grace gave us a call and let us speak to them." Joss said with no preamble. Harold smiled to himself, hearing the relief in her voice.

"Indeed, I'm sure they were glad to talk to you too. Everything seems to have worked out in our favor. I have the necessary data that you will need to take down Alonzo Quinn AND HR. I think you will be surprised at the scope of HR's influence." Pausing for a moment, he let the full import of what he was saying sink in.

"Take Quinn AND HR down? For good?" Joss almost whispered into the phone. "You were able to get that much information from John?"

Closing his eyes for a moment, still able to see John hunched over the table in the corner, rubbing his hands over and over, Harold took a deep breath,

"Yes, he pointed us in the right direction and everything seem to fall into place once we knew who controlled HR. I am going to send you the information in a file, I suggest you immediately load it on a thumb drive as a precaution. You don't know who you can trust within the police department right now. I will also send you the name of the judge who will issue any warrants you may need. He is clean and not connected to Quinn in any way."

"How do you know that Harold? I got ambushed by a judge I thought I could trust! How do you know you can trust him?"

"John saved his son's life. He has become a personal friend. We trust him. He has the type of moral code that would never allow him to work with HR." answered Harold.

"That is good enough for me then. Send it on." said Joss as she hung up the phone.

Sitting there in the quiet of the library, Harold leaned back in his chair. So much had happened since John had stumbled into the library hours ago.

Experiencing what John had gone through in the military gave him a whole new respect for the man he knew today. That was a very dark place that John had lived in. Keeping something that horrific completely hidden, apparently even from himself, showed the an extraordinary strength of willpower. He'd always thought of John Reese, but to see it laid out in front of him like that... It touched his heart knowing the profound effect that one night in Afghanistan had on John's life AND that John had been able to come back from that, to work with him on the numbers...using some of the same skills that he'd had to use during that dark time in his life...Finch shook his head in wonder.

Making himself a cup of sencha green tea, Harold sat back down at his desk and began monitoring the news channels. Joss's endeavors with Judge Gates should be showing fruit soon.

* * *

A couple of hours later, John and Elise walked back into the library and were surprised to see Harold still on his computer. He barely acknowledged their presence with a raised eyebrow.

Smiling at each other, John sat down in one of the chairs on the other side of the library. The fabric covering the chair was worn, the padding underneath was still soft and pliable. Once he was comfortable, John reach up and pulled Elise into his lap making her giggle.

"He'll be at that for a couple of more hours. …."

Even as he said the words, Harold spoke up "No, I am actually done with what I needed to do. Now it is up to Joss and Lionel to take the information I was able to gather, thanks to your memories John, and put Alonzo Quinn and HR away for good".

That got their attention. The stillness in John was profound. The real world came crashing back. The warm glow he'd felt moments before was gone. Elise felt him tense up, heard his breathing change. John was not 'out of the woods' yet. His arms pulled her closer to him as he waited for Harold to continue.

"I've been monitoring the news for relevant information. Everything is quiet for the moment. But I expect that to change very soon." explained Harold.

John stayed quiet but Elise could not. "How do you think this is going to play out?"

Pushing his glasses back up on his nose, Harold looked up from his computer. "I sent Joss to Judge Gates to get a warrant for Quinn's arrest. He's one of the few judges not under the influence of HR and Quinn." replied Harold as he watched for a reaction from John. All he got was deadly serious look.

Elise slipped her arm around John's shoulders and gently stroked the spot where his hair came to a V at the base of his neck. She called that her "Sweet V Spot" and loved the way his hair grew to a point right at his hairline. As always, that motion had a calming effect on John, just as his wrapping a tendril of her hair around his finger calmed her down, so did her soothing touch effect him. She felt the tension ease up in his shoulders and his breathing slowly return to normal.

Harold went on to explain to Elise the relationship he and John had with the judge and why he felt that the judge was the right one to help Joss.

Suddenly Harold's computer gave an alert signal. Quickly glancing at the screen, Harold saw the words 'breaking news' and motioned with his hand for John and Elise.

The network news feed showed Quinn being taken away in handcuffs with the scrolling headlines showing "AWOL War Criminal Hiding Out in Public". The news blurb gave a quick story about Quinn's new found past. Next it showed other prominent politicians and members of NYPD being led away in handcuffs.

One of the sound bites showed Joss and Lionel being interviewed about the newfound background info on one of NYC's biggest behind the scene mover and shaker. Joss was in her element in front of the camera representing the FBI and Lionel was quite at home representing the NYPD. It was done. HR was dead.

Elise hugged John tightly. Staring at the news on the monitor, John was trying to take it in, trying to convince himself that he'd kept his word to Joss and Lionel and kept their sons safe. He had not let them down.

Harold was pleased that his little 'family' was now safe from the far-reaching and lethal grip of HR, once and for all.

"I believe that Joss and Lionel will want to get back to their sons as soon as possible." said Harold as he turned to look at John and Elise. "I hope they won't mind giving us a ride since Grace has my car at the beach house."

"Of course they will Harold! I'm sure they'll be calling you shortly, once it is safe to go get their sons." answered Elise with a smile. "Be a little snug with the 5 of us but we'll make do."

Pulling away from Elise, John asked 'If Grace has the car, how did you get back to the city?"

Elise laughed and the proudly said "I rode your bike!" and waited for his reaction.

"You did what? How'd you do that? That bike is too big for you!" he was incredulous.

"You would be amazed at what you can do when you have to!" she smiled in return.

* * *

Within the hour the alarm sounded that someone was in the garage downstairs. Harold checked the security cameras and saw Joss and Lionel. Turning off the alarm, Harold unlocked the elevator so that they could come upstairs.

The moment the elevator doors opened up Joss was out the door and and made a beeline for Reese. Elise stepped aside as Joss threw her arms around him.

"John! I'm so glad to see you! You had us so worried when we couldn't find you!" Hugging him tightly, she looked over at Elise and mouthed the words 'thank you'. Elise smiled back and said nothing.

"Yeah Sunshine, you went dark on us and disappeared. Glad you made it." chimed in Lionel.

Joss let go of John and turned to Harold. "Quinn and 17 of his immediate cohorts are in jail. Their bond will be set tomorrow. Lionel and I don't need to report back for a couple of days. The DA is taking care of things from here on out. We want to see our boys!"

"I'm sure you do! As eager as I am to see Grace. Would you mind driving? Grace has my car at the beach house."

"Of course you can ride with us!" Turning around again to face John and Elise she asked, "Do you guys need a ride too?"

"No, we've got our own transportation. You can follow us. Otherwise you'll never find the place." growled John still dwelling on how Elise had handled the big bike and the risk she had taken.

* * *

Finding a spare helmet for John took a little bit of extra time but the group was finally on the road out of town. Elise was on the back of the bike, snuggled up as close as possible to John with her arms wrapped tightly around him. Moving in and out of traffic, feeling the muscles in John's back and legs tense and relax was a delicious feeling. Joss drove her personal car with Lionel and Harold. Keeping up with the big bike was not easy in the city's traffic.

As traffic thinned out, John eased the throttle up and the big bike responded smoothly and drew away from the car. Smiling to herself, Elise remembered the argument she and John had had over how fast they could go on the bike. She knew he liked speed and she had finally convinced him that she liked it too, that danger was an adrenalin rush for her as much as for him…...one to be experienced and enjoyed.

In the car, Harold filled Lionel and Joss in on what had happened to John at the warehouse. He described the man who'd wandered back into the library as 'not the Reese we knew'. He told the story that Elise had finally been able to draw out of John.

Joss immediately was able to identify with the story that Harold told of John's past. She'd known from the first moment they'd met, after his arrest in the subway, that he was a 'damaged war vet' but she'd had no idea how traumatic it was. Her respect for him rose exponentially. To function within the framework of the job he had taken on with Harold and to have the relationship he had with them and with Elise, was amazing. Joss has seen so many men come home from 'over there' and lose touch with family and friends and reality. Lionel knew, from watching things on tv and in the news, that PTSD was a serious condition and that Iron Man Reese had succumbed to it, brought a new level of respect for him.

The bike ate up the miles and put quite a bit of distance between it and the big car. John was reveling in the feel of the powerful machine and Elise's arms holding him tight. Turning off on a side road toward the beach, he carefully drove the bike right up to the parking lot facing the ocean. Elise sat up when he turned off the road and was surprised that John had left the ocean highway. Pulling off her helmet, she shook out her hair and tapped John's helmet with her knuckles.

"Hey you, what gives? Harold will never find the turn-off to my house! He needs us."

John pulled off his helmet and hung it on the handlebars without answering. Reaching around he grabbed her helmet and did the same. Kicking the stand down he held the bike up til if found its balance point and let go.

Elise hopped off the bike and stood to the side waiting for John to explain.

Throwing one long leg over the side, John stepped off the bike. Looking at Elise he held out his arms.

Cocking her head to one side, Elise smiled and walked into his embrace. There was no place she would rather be than within the circle of his arms. For John, there was no place he'd rather be than having her close with his arms wrapped around her. They were one. They were complete.

"We're far enough ahead of them that we can take a moment together before we have to deal with the madness that will be at your house." he said as he held her tight. "I've always loved the ocean even though I was raised in the mid-west. There is a calmness and a wildness that calls to me. Just like you. You bring calm to my life, a 'rightness'... but you also bring excitement, enough to keep me off balance or on my toes, depending on the moment. I can't wait each morning to see what the new day with you will bring." Stroking her hair down her back, John closed his eyes and breathed in the salt air, savoring the moment.

Elise said nothing, instinctively knowing that John was the one who needed to talk. He wasn't one to talk about his feelings and she knew that this moment was his. She just held him tighter and gave herself completely into the sensation of feeling the love of this wonderful man.

Taking her by the shoulders, John moved her away from him. The look in her eyes when she looked at him took his breath away. Cupping her face, he gently kissed her. Her response was just as gentle. The love they felt for each other was deep and profound, making each one stronger than they were apart.

Breaking away, John smiled and said "We need to get back on the road before Harold has a heart attack." Just at that moment Elise's phone rang. Laughing she looked at it and held it up. The caller id said "Harold". They both laughed as she answered the phone.

Before Harold could speak, Elise said "We're close by Harold, we'll be on the highway in just a moment."

"Well I should hope so. We are all quite anxious to see our loved ones. You two have already had that pleasure." said a worried Harold as he hung up.

As the bike roared back down the side road to the highway, Elise could feel the laughter bubbling up inside of John as she held on. The tension and stress of the last week was getting farther and farther behind them. They were on their way home.


End file.
